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I think it would be humorous if we had a thread where we could post about the truly idiotic things we see out on the roads. I'll start it off:

After fueling up this morning I turned onto the little thoroughfare in the parking lot of the strip mall the station is in. After traveling on said thoroughfare for about 30m a lone soccer Mom in a huge V8 Toyota Sequoia that was on one of the lot entrance/exit lanes made eye contact with me and then immediately cut me off. If I hadn't hit my brakes hard I would have impacted on her rear left corner.

I honked at her but she must have had the radio up loud because she never even glanced back at me.

She then ran the stop sign another 10m up the thoroughfare and then immediately turned left and uphill towards the exit, sans blinker.

At the top of that exit is a stoplight that controls one's entry onto the 4 lane avenue, which she ran a full second after it turned red, sans blinker and visible exhaust spewing the whole time.

I waited through the light (it's a mercifully short one) and then used the avenue to get to Mount Rose Highway, a block away. As I approached the highway in the right lane there was the Sequoia, sitting 9 vehicles deep at the left turn light, which was going to be red for at least another minute.

Hi Brian:

___To bad you were not closer for that next light as I am sure you would have dressed her down a notch or two with that performance!

___This morning with camera’s rolling, an Audi A6 pulled a similar stunt on a 4 lane. Drag raced around me and I mean 0 – 60 in sub 7 seconds like acceleration to the red light not a block and a half ahead only to sit there and wait. We had just left a light and I was in a high load but very short micro-pulse heading out. You just cannot teach these @$$’es a thing :ccry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Here's one:

I'm on a 4-lane road, 35mph limit. There's a side street to the right that T's into mine. Driver blows right through the stop sign and turns into my lane (right lane, of course! ;)). THEN he comes to a complete stop and turns ALL THE WAY AROUND in his seat to see me coming up behind him. Good thing there was no traffic in the other lane, I could not have stopped in time.

this could be a VERY long thread :eek:

BailOut,

This has the promise of being a daily feature. ;)


________________________

This muist be "Blonde Driver Week".

A blonde in a Camry (non-HSD) was making some abrupt lane changes while she was on the phone. Without giving it the gas, I did what I occasionally do in such situations and emulated the same abrupt lane changes....I call this A$$CAR driving (I did not imply it was real NASCAR driving - JimboK) :p

Rerun of yesterday - a blonde in a pickup had to pass me. About 100 yards later, she is stuck behind a dump truck and I make sure she sees me laughing as I pass. She was livid - isn't it amazing how people with a problem project it onto others?


http://www.spencerthelion.com/images/mewdonna09.jpg
Mewdonna (platium blonde pictured) is in my lap as I type... :D

I saw a guy on the New York State Thruway going 55mph-65mph-55mph-65mph.......

This same guy later hit the exit in neutral, shut off his engine, and seemed to coast all the way through the EasyPass lane, without ever touching the brakes................






Oh wait, that was me! Trying to work with some of the techniques I'm reading about here.

Sounds like a good segment, Anon! Did you check your manual to be sure the transmission would not be damaged by FASing? If it says your car can be "flat towed" (meaning on all 4 wheels) you are fine. Otherwise the transmission is depending on oil being pumped by the engine and extended engine off gliding could cause expensive transmission damage due to lack of lubrication.

It was bad enough today that Im giving up FE driving for a while. Im going to be the problem and not the solution.

Im on my way in this morning. Im on a back road going around Glenpool and Jenks. Doing 40 mph in a 45 mph zone. Some hoe in a Trailblazer comes screaming up behind me. She puts the pass on me. Then notices theres a dead deer in her lane as shes talking on her ****ed cell. I saw the deer laying there 1/2 mile back. So I just keep on my way. She locks up the brakes and creams the deer. She catchs back up to me and tries to run me off the road. Flips me off and is cussing me. Pulls up next to me and cuss's me out. I told her she was so ugly a horse wouldn't b*** f*** her in the a**.

So I move on down the road. make the exchange from the Creek Turnpike to hwy 169. Then heres a massive back up. For the third day in a fow a ****ed Cemment mixer has fliped over getting off of a exit on 169. Three days in a row this has happened. :mad:

So I get to work. Get my ass chewed all day long cause stuff isnt in and Im not going to warrenty stuff that folks have went out of there way to destroy. On and on and on. I have a massive headache by 11 am. I really don't blame them for being mad. I can get stuff out of japan faster than a worthless american lazy ass yankee factory. Then folks need quotes. But not a one can supply all the needed info to size and quote one. Want me to guess. This is what out country has been reduced to. People that cant do one **** thing right. Guess,,,, I cant believe it.

So I get out of the office at lunch and go buy some yellow nylon cheap ski rope I need for a project around the house. So while at the lumber yard I park my car and go inside. I turn to look back at my car and see a truck rolling at it. A 3/4 ton GMC rolling backwards across the lot heading for my car. I take off running for my car... I cant move it.... run for the truck. Get the door open,,, but I cant stop it. So I run around back,,,, yelling for help the whole time at the top of my lungs. I grab the bumper and slam my shoulder into the rear fender. The tail light shatters. My shoulder now hurts big time. I get the truck to stop. Then the ****ed drive comes running out and tells me how Im going to pay for the tail light I busted. I droped him right then and there like a sack of tators. The owner of the lumber yard comes out and asked if I needed a ambulance after stoping the ****ed truck from hitting my car. I tell him I will be ok. He told me to go on my way and he would show the carpenter the security video. So I went back to work for more customer idiot humans in my face.

I get off work and make it to 169 on ramp. I get my light and start making my turn. I hear this god awful racket. Its a red hatch back MZ3. Its lowered right down to the ground. I mean so low its bouncing like a fisher price car pull toy. Hes going to run the red light with his fart can a blazing and the subs a thumping. I slam on my brakes. He goes by fliping me off and laughing. I then look up and see the freeway at a beep and creep. A evil grin comes across my face and soul. So I take off after him. Hes stoped and cussing traffic. No idea Im about to ruin his day. He see's me walk across the front of his car. He starts the power window up. I toss the bag of rope I ppurchased at lunch inbetween the window and door as the window goes up. He locks his doors. I yank the wad of rope twords me and bust his window out. Smacked him up side the head with the rope and told him to tie it on the front of his fisher price popper ricer and pull it around like the kids toy it is before somebody kills his worthless ass. Get back in my car and leave.

So now Im back on the road going around Jenks and Glenpool. Just trying to get home. The exploded mangled dead deer is still in the road. I go around it. Ease on down the road at the speed limit or under. Then pass a local cop hiding behind some bushes. Soon as I go by him he hits his lights and gets behind me. Im pilled over by a worthless cop. He takes my lic. and ins. I asked him why i was being harrased. He says there have been complaints of a little purple car hot roding on this road. I tell him that his fat ugly suv driving bitch wife was the one speeding not me. I jump out of my car knowing he has me on radar. And tell him we need to look at his radar spot of the hot roding little purple car. He didnt want me near his car. So I flip out the cell phone, call 911 and request a state trooper to the the area. Tell the local cop I will surrender to him and only speak to a honest member of law enforcement. He gives me my stuff back. I wait on the trooper and file a complaint against the local fuzz.

I made it home without further issues. But Im going to lay off the hypermiling game for a while. Its time to be the problem for a while. The solution has got real old the last few months.....

psy

I think most of us have lapses, psyshack - I do.

Having said that, please sleep on it and not become another A$$CAR driver - let them pay for higher blood pressure, car insurance, etc....

I cope with it by driving away from rush hour and alternate routes when possible.

It was bad enough today that Im giving up FE driving for a while. Im going to be the problem and not the solution.

Im on my way in this morning. Im on a back road going around Glenpool and Jenks. Doing 40 mph in a 45 mph zone. Some hoe in a Trailblazer comes screaming up behind me. She puts the pass on me. Then notices theres a dead deer in her lane as shes talking on her ****ed cell. I saw the deer laying there 1/2 mile back. So I just keep on my way. She locks up the brakes and creams the deer. She catchs back up to me and tries to run me off the road. Flips me off and is cussing me. Pulls up next to me and cuss's me out. I told her she was so ugly a horse wouldn't b*** f*** her in the a**.

So I move on down the road. make the exchange from the Creek Turnpike to hwy 169. Then heres a massive back up. For the third day in a fow a ****ed Cemment mixer has fliped over getting off of a exit on 169. Three days in a row this has happened. :mad:

So I get to work. Get my ass chewed all day long cause stuff isnt in and Im not going to warrenty stuff that folks have went out of there way to destroy. On and on and on. I have a massive headache by 11 am. I really don't blame them for being mad. I can get stuff out of japan faster than a worthless american lazy ass yankee factory. Then folks need quotes. But not a one can supply all the needed info to size and quote one. Want me to guess. This is what out country has been reduced to. People that cant do one **** thing right. Guess,,,, I cant believe it.

So I get out of the office at lunch and go buy some yellow nylon cheap ski rope I need for a project around the house. So while at the lumber yard I park my car and go inside. I turn to look back at my car and see a truck rolling at it. A 3/4 ton GMC rolling backwards across the lot heading for my car. I take off running for my car... I cant move it.... run for the truck. Get the door open,,, but I cant stop it. So I run around back,,,, yelling for help the whole time at the top of my lungs. I grab the bumper and slam my shoulder into the rear fender. The tail light shatters. My shoulder now hurts big time. I get the truck to stop. Then the ****ed drive comes running out and tells me how Im going to pay for the tail light I busted. I droped him right then and there like a sack of tators. The owner of the lumber yard comes out and asked if I needed a ambulance after stoping the ****ed truck from hitting my car. I tell him I will be ok. He told me to go on my way and he would show the carpenter the security video. So I went back to work for more customer idiot humans in my face.

I get off work and make it to 169 on ramp. I get my light and start making my turn. I hear this god awful racket. Its a red hatch back MZ3. Its lowered right down to the ground. I mean so low its bouncing like a fisher price car pull toy. Hes going to run the red light with his fart can a blazing and the subs a thumping. I slam on my brakes. He goes by fliping me off and laughing. I then look up and see the freeway at a beep and creep. A evil grin comes across my face and soul. So I take off after him. Hes stoped and cussing traffic. No idea Im about to ruin his day. He see's me walk across the front of his car. He starts the power window up. I toss the bag of rope I ppurchased at lunch inbetween the window and door as the window goes up. He locks his doors. I yank the wad of rope twords me and bust his window out. Smacked him up side the head with the rope and told him to tie it on the front of his fisher price popper ricer and pull it around like the kids toy it is before somebody kills his worthless ass. Get back in my car and leave.

So now Im back on the road going around Jenks and Glenpool. Just trying to get home. The exploded mangled dead deer is still in the road. I go around it. Ease on down the road at the speed limit or under. Then pass a local cop hiding behind some bushes. Soon as I go by him he hits his lights and gets behind me. Im pilled over by a worthless cop. He takes my lic. and ins. I asked him why i was being harrased. He says there have been complaints of a little purple car hot roding on this road. I tell him that his fat ugly suv driving bitch wife was the one speeding not me. I jump out of my car knowing he has me on radar. And tell him we need to look at his radar spot of the hot roding little purple car. He didnt want me near his car. So I flip out the cell phone, call 911 and request a state trooper to the the area. Tell the local cop I will surrender to him and only speak to a honest member of law enforcement. He gives me my stuff back. I wait on the trooper and file a complaint against the local fuzz.

I made it home without further issues. But Im going to lay off the hypermiling game for a while. Its time to be the problem for a while. The solution has got real old the last few months.....

psy

Psy,

Sorry to read about your day and the drive home.

psyshack, please tell us the only part of your story that was true was the fact that you went to work!

psyshack, please tell us the only part of your story that was true was the fact that you went to work!

I agree he had a lot of venting, but I believe psyshack when he said there were multiple aggressive/rude drivers on a single commute - it happens all the time in Dallas/Fort Worth and many other major US metro areas.

It's OK to be frustrated by them, but we don't want to give up and let them win, either.

Delta Flyer, so, you have never had "one of those days?"

Man, Jeff. That sounds like a perfectly terrible day. I completely understand your frustration. :(

Please do sleep on it and think about this: Getting upset about this type of behavior isn't worth your effort. Stooping to their level isn't worth your effort, time, or risk either. Lord knows I've had my lapses as well but in the end, none of them were really worth it to me. Maybe you feel they are (and trust me, I have DEFINITELY been on that side), but really nothing I've ever done to retaliate has ever had a long term, lasting effect that was anything close to what I really wanted.

Please don't take this as someone ELSE trying to run your show -- I've no desire to do that. Just as one guy to another, it is your decision but I think (and I believe you may agree later) that you'll regret "being the problem" after a while. Whatever you decide, all of us here are willing to listen and support.

Best wishes for a more relaxing situation in the coming days, Jeff. And let us know how "Papa's Evil Dream" performs -- regardless of which end of the tach you decide to work!

psyshack, please tell us the only part of your story that was true was the fact that you went to work!


Its all a lie... I set at home and sold black tar to the school children. Really I did,,,,,,, geez

We have thread like this going on at Standardshift.com. It's over 20 pages long. ;)

Psyshack - sorry to hear about your bad day. I'm not a fan of revenge, but I hope things calm down for ya and you can return to the solution. :)

Bad driver - an FX35 comes flying around a right hand turn at a light at about 25 MPH(I'm sitting in the left turn lane waiting for the arrow - engine off, of course :) ) and suddenly comes skidding to stop. Not normal skidding either, but a weird-sounding "chirp-bang-chirp-bang-chirp" sound. That's what gets my attention. The car bucks wildly as the driver hits the brakes and brings the SUV to a halt.

Then, I hear that horrible sound you get when you try to start an engine that's already been started. He does it at least a half a dozen times, windows up, car sealed, trying to start his idling car. Finally, he shuts the engine off, and starts the car again. As soon as he knows the engine is on, he floors it wildly to catch up with the rest of traffic.

Why had he come to a stop so fast and so "weirdly"? From what I can figure out by the sounds and the way the SUV stopped, he had somehow thrown the car into "Park" while rounding the corner. He must have been moving just slow enough to allow the car to put the parking pin in, but it wouldn't hold. What a fool!

... a weird-sounding "chirp-bang-chirp-bang-chirp" sound. That's what gets my attention. The car bucks wildly as the driver hits the brakes and brings the SUV to a halt.

...From what I can figure out by the sounds and the way the SUV stopped, he had somehow thrown the car into "Park" while rounding the corner. He must have been moving just slow enough to allow the car to put the parking pin in, but it wouldn't hold. What a fool!

:eek:

How the... ?? :confused:

That is just UNREAL. :rolleyes:

I was coming up to the merge of the creek turnpike onto hwy 75. Cars backed up 1/4 mile while they one at a time wait until somebody lets them in. Why I dont know. I passed them all on the right and went right on up the merge lane and slipped in traffic. these fools were coming to a complete stop for no reason.

I just realized I have an example from the day before yesterday. I was driving along a 30mph single lane road and someone in a white sedan pulled out from the left in front of me a little closer than I like, but okay. Then I notice the guy behind him is ALSO pulling out. There's no gap for him!

He wasn't paying attention at all obviously -- just following the guy in front of him. Oops, he messed up. Okay, fine. He didn't hit me -- just figured it out as he pulled along side me in the oncoming traffic lane (which luckily was empty). So he sensibly applies the brakes and pulls behind me. What happens then?

He tailgates me all the while waving at me! I ignore him and keep driving but when it goes to two lanes he pulls up on my right and keeps waving?! He's not even watching the road because he is so desperate for me to acknowledge his "apology," craning his neck over his shoulder as he pulls enough forward to be in my normal line of site? <smacks forehead>

How is that making anything better?? :confused:

I finally nodded at him hoping we could avoid an accident caused by stupidly misplaced remorse.

Had a fantastic exchange yesterday. :)

Doing 40 MPH (speed limit) on a two lane road with a Ford Exploder tailgating me. I kept at the speed limit, and didn't do any odd braking. However, this guy kept on with the trunk humping, giving me the finger, pounding his wheel, and shouting expletives.

Lately I've been carrying my camera with me - to take pictures of what not. So I decided to get a snapshot of this guy. That throws him into a tirade! He gets even closer! :P

Finally we get to the light, and he zooms past me, then slams on the brakes. My window is down, and he starts shouting "what the **** is your problem?! You can't go that slow! You can't take pictures of me! I'm calling the cops! I got your license!"

To which I calmly held up the camera and replied "I imagine the police would like to see those pictures of you tailgating me, eh?" :D

He didn't stick around.

That's awesome, John! I'm going to start carrying the camera in my glove box again. :)

So I'm on my way home the other day and I am gliding along at about 36mph in a 40 zone about 1/4 mile from the last light in town and it is RED, coming up behind me is a grand cherokee V8 (hauling ass) slams on his brakes and rides my butt the rest of the way to the RED light. As the light turns green I gently accelerate across the intersection and promptly pull to the side of the road so the guy in the jeep can go around me (he was the only one behind me) and he rolls his window down and yells "YOU CANT DRIVE THAT SLOW, DONT YOU KNOW WHAT THE ^%$&^% SPEED LIMIT IS!!!!" So I smile at him and pull back out onto the road to watch him zoom away. About 2 miles down this backroad the speed limit changes to 25mph for just a little bit and yep you guessed it, there he was on the side of the road with pretty lights flashing right behind him and a nice man in a uniform looked like he was giving the guy a lecture about speed limits. :Banane28:

So I'm on my way home the other day and I am gliding along at about 36mph in a 40 zone about 1/4 mile from the last light in town and it is RED, coming up behind me is a grand cherokee V8 (hauling ass) slams on his brakes and rides my butt the rest of the way to the RED light. As the light turns green I gently accelerate across the intersection and promptly pull to the side of the road so the guy in the jeep can go around me (he was the only one behind me) and he rolls his window down and yells "YOU CANT DRIVE THAT SLOW, DONT YOU KNOW WHAT THE ^%$&^% SPEED LIMIT IS!!!!" So I smile at him and pull back out onto the road to watch him zoom away. About 2 miles down this backroad the speed limit changes to 25mph for just a little bit and yep you guessed it, there he was on the side of the road with pretty lights flashing right behind him and a nice man in a uniform looked like he was giving the guy a lecture about speed limits. :Banane28:

how sweet when justice is served.

really makes me want my bumper sticker that would say: it's the speed LIMIT, not a speed REQUIREMENT.

Update:

The SUV driving soccer mom that hit the dead deer and more than likely put her cop husband, brother or lover on me. Wrecked her SUV today. And a red Mustang went out with her.

I was going down the same road she passed me on last week. I look in my rear view and see a big black SUV coming at me like a freight train. I hold my 43 mph in a 45 mph zone. Sure enough she pass me. Hauling a$$. Then here comes a red Mustang. The doing 65 mph or better on this county road. Then here comes a hemi ram... The Suv and stang hit a rise in the road and both of them loose it. The suv is trying to recover. But shes been to busy being pissed at seeing me and yaking on her cell that she cant focus on driving. She over corrects and starts fish tailing. The stang is lowered so much it has two wheels off the ground at anytime. The stang bumps the rear of the suv and both go to the ditch. The hemi ram gets on the brakes and drives though the mess. I fas by wagging finger at them. And the suv had a " support the police sticker on the rear bumper " A trooper buster....

Made my day

OTOH, I think I taught my first hypermiling lesson today, all in the car and without saying anything. Guy (gal) is following a bit too closely down a city street (35 mph) as I am gliding very slowly to the light. Just as I get to the light the light (magically) turns green (presto bingo!), guy (gal) cuts back a bit and stays behind me. I glide down for another light as it magically turns green again, just for me. The guy (gal) cuts a nice distance from me as we coast thru another light that magically turns green. I might have taught him/her more but I turn into shopping center (I think we are dealing with hypermiling 102) so s/he doesn't follow and I coast around the very long light. (Dan told me a similar thing that happened to him actually.)

Cursing at tailgaters-- doctor's visit with copay $25.
Shaking your fist and banging- blood pressure medicine $50 with copay.
Speeding up for a tailgaters-- gas dollars $50
Teaching a tailgater-- priceless!
(alternatives-- seeing a tailgater get a ticket, watching the tailgater at a long light behind you, etc.)


--des

****. I didn't even read this thread until just now. Psy, how the hell does this stuff happen to you?

Jeff, justice is sweet, isn't it? I hate seeing an accident but it looks like nobody was injured so... :D

Great job, Desdemona! It sure is nice to see the light bulb come on for non-cooperative drivers. I don't know about you but it gives me hope for the rest of the populace!

It's just lucky we have the green light switching magic, otherwise there would be no hope!
:D

--des


Great job, Desdemona! It sure is nice to see the light bulb come on for non-cooperative drivers. I don't know about you but it gives me hope for the rest of the populace!

Background:
I was leaving work two days ago on a route that I normally don't take. (I ended up liking it, so I think I'll continue using it.) Anyway, this road is a four lane road with a median. It intersects with another four lane road at a stop light. Most people turn left (from the turn lane) at that light. So many people, in fact, that the line waiting to turn is much longer than the turn lane. The right lane is a right turn only lane. That leaves the left lane going straight through the light.

Story:
Traffic was light that day, so I was coasting up to the light in the left lane. I was planning on turning left at the light, but it turned yellow before I got there. I decided to go straight. As I hadn't gotten to the turn lane yet, I was in the proper place. All of a sudden this gold minivan cuts me off from the right lane. We go through the light and the van hits the brakes hard, trying to make a left turn into a parking lot. I pass on the right and keep right on going.

Funny part:
The driver of the van was a co-worker that I eat lunch with! I asked her why she cut me off, and she blushes, saying, "That was you?!" I told her I was going to lay on the horn and give her the bad driver salute, but then I realized who it was. As we were laughing about this another of our lunch buddies comes over and the story gets retold. "... and I cut him off 'cause he was going slow, and I do cut people off ... I was trying to beat the light ... tried to make a U-turn ..." Everyone was in hysterics!

It was great to be able to go back and ask the "bad driver" why she was bad. Of course, there are no hard feelings.

...and both go to the ditch.

...

Made my day

Made my day too! Tell me the cars exploded, and it's the perfect story. ;)

-Gren

Hey skwyre7, I hope at least perhaps a lesson was learned during
that lunch, and her behavior didn't get encouraged. I would have
been careful to make that point, as gently but as firmly as
possible. I.e. "the people you endanger on the roads like that
might be your co-workers, or your co-workers kids, etc" ...
don't let her get away with it without at least some pause.
.
_H*

hobbit,

She knows she was wrong. It's become one of our running jokes to show there were no hard feelings.

I laid into a coworker a little bit not too long ago when he told me what he does to people who drive "slow" in the "fast" lane. He likes to whip around and cut in front of them, then stomp the brake pedal. "Slow" means the speed limit, of course.

Courtesy, respect and common sense are dead.

... there he was on the side of the road with pretty lights flashing right behind him .... :Banane28:

That's the end of story we all dream about.

Pierre

There's an insurance scam to that effect. Basically make people slam on their brakes and they will (hopefully?!) hit you. Then you get some doctor to give you a neck brace and claim lots of money. The crazy thing is this whole thing could easily backfire and the person doing such stunts could end up injured or even killed (or injure or kill someone else).

All these people worrying about a "slow" speed never worry about a too fast one. I have never heard out of any of their mouths-- "people go so fast it isn't safe" (in fact, here is the only place I have ever heard about it). You hear stuff like "that person was going so slow it was unsafe". I think they are just terrified that they might end up getting their a minute or two later (might actually happen!).

But people who set up an accident causing situation (whether or not it actually causes one are beyond contempt. I would have had a hard time talking to that person. (It actually happened to me once, was in the car with someone who pulled this little thing for insurance fraud purposes, got into an accident with me in the car. Fortunately I wasn't hurt, but I lost any respect for her.)

Causing or contributing (or not avoiding) an accident is illegal. AFAIK, driving under the speed *limit* is not. They need to look up limit. It means a speed you can't go OVER! (BTW, I used to see speed minimums, have not lately.) The wikipedia says that many states have minimums, often 40 mph, which are usually not posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States

--des

I laid into a coworker a little bit not too long ago when he told me what he does to people who drive "slow" in the "fast" lane. He likes to whip around and cut in front of them, then stomp the brake pedal. "Slow" means the speed limit, of course.

Courtesy, respect and common sense are dead.

AFAIK, driving under the speed *limit* is not. They need to look up limit. It means a speed you can't go OVER! (BTW, I used to see speed minimums, have not lately.) The wikipedia says that many states have minimums, often 40 mph, which are usually not posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States

--des
On my commute on I-95 I found one sign (in about 25 miles both ways) that gives the minimum speed of 40mph.

Sometimes even the maximum limit is poorly posted around here. You have to be a detective to figure out the upper limits on I-95 in the New Haven area: no signs, signs hidden behind other signs, long gaps between signs.....

NM develops lead feet so I am assuming that's why there are no minimum speeds posted. Who drives that slow? Little old ladies? Hah! I used to be a slow driver til I moved here. I developed a lead foot, that I have since unleaded. :-) Of course, I was a little slow for NM maybe only 5-10 mph over the speed limit vs 20. It's a speeders paradise. I never saw a cop car pull anyone over til about a year ago. I drove for 3 years on expired Illinois plates.

Another silly thing we have in the cars that isn't needed here-- turn signals. People don't use them. There is even a bumper sticker "Visualize Turn Signals".


Another thing that rankles drivers is not coming up exactly to the stop line at a light. I have no idea, but I have been honked at many times for this faux paus, until I figured what they were honking for. It didn't explain it any better though. I don't recall that being such an issue in Illinois. (Now I pull up, it is so I can see the light as it is about to turn green. )

So if ya'll want to come and visit, remember speed and don't use your turn signals and you'll fit right in.


--des

About five years ago I was stuck in a traffic jam because four lanes were squeezed down to one where they were putting in a new light by the local Super Beelze-Mart. Traffic was backed up about a mile and averaging about 3MPH in spurts of about 6MPH. I didn't know the words for it at the time, but I was driving with buffers--just letting the car idle forward during spurts instead of using the brake or accelerator all the time-- maximum gaps of about 6 car lengths would open up. Mr. Luxury SUV driver about twenty cars back apparently saw the gaps and thought "this is why I got 4 wheel drive." He jumped a little curb and pulled in the median and gunned it to pass the line of cars to pass the line and pull into the gap. Another freaking Dale Earnhart wannabe.

I saw him pull out in my mirror and thought that shouldn't happen, so I (and the 19 cars behind me) accelerated to close up the gap and trap him in the median. Sitting in the median next to me he had a lot of gestures for me, but his wife in the passenger seat looked pretty embarassed. My wife told me she expects me to get shot someday.

i had posted this separately yesterday, because i couldn't find this post. i will either delete the other one, or have wayne lock it, i was just a little pi$$ed after this one:

i was just coming from an emergency trip to the vet, and realizing i may lose my dog today, which didn't help my mood.

i was getting back onto the 4 lane, which does down to 2 for road construction over the mississippi. the entrance is a yield, which i did and determined there was enough space between me and the oncoming driver for me to get up to speed.

he didn't think so. .i watch him get faster and faster, and by the time we got to the 55MPH zone and the closed lane, he was so close i was forced onto the shoulder to avoid contact. i managed to get back on the road, and he tailgated me through the entire construction zone.

i managed to get his plate number reading it in my rear view mirror. one think i noticed just before he forced me over is that there was a company name and phone number on the van. seems to me if a person is going to drive like an idiot, he really shouldn't do it with the company van.

i got the name and phone and when i turned off the highway, i stopped and called the number and left a message on his answering machine, expressing my admiration for his driving talents.

when i got home, i found the mn highway patrol site, and reported him. then i looked him up, found his website and sent him a message telling him about it.

:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

Here's a few from today:

On my way down Mount Rose I encountered a semi with a 53-foot trailer trying to climb the mountain. He was doing about 3 MPH around a blind hairpin turn at about 7,500ft. and had a line of roughly 20 vehicles stuck behind him. Due to the unacceptable and incompatible length of his trailer he had swung even wider than necessary, and well into my lane, to try to get around the turn... so wide that my little Yaris had to get closer to the guard rail than I care for in order to clear his rig.

A pair of fixed-frame, refrigerated delivery trucks were right behind me and as the first of them came around that blind turn I heard his tires chirping (ABS), saw him dodge towards the guardrail, then heard the crunching of metal and shattering of the side mirror's glass as the vehicle's side's collided.

I hope the driver of the semi gets his license revoked because he's too stupid to be allowed out in public any more.

Now on to event #2...

Still on Mount Rose Highway northbound to Reno and just past Galena Forest a burgundy, full-sized Chevy pickup with some detailed painted graphics pulled out 60m in front of me when I was doing the speed limit of 55 MPH. I had to hit the brakes hard to avoid impacting the rear of his vehicle, which put me rather close to him. The driver promptly began to accelerate very slowly, backing up some traffic behind me (which puts me in a position that I sincerely always try to avoid in my little Yaris), weaving out of the lane twice, then changing his mind about his lane twice once the road opened up to 4 lanes.

He then began to speed. Not a little, but a lot. By the time I reached Thomas Creek, about 3km up the road, I could no longer see him. I caught up to him at the light at the bottom of the hill (surprise), and noticed that a motorcycle cop pulled up in the back of the left lane, which Mr. Bad Driver was at the front of.

When we got the green he took off like a bat out of hell and had to be doing 75 MPH as he entered the circular ramp to 395 North. The cop had him pulled over by the time he reached the top of the ramp. Yay!



Now let me show you what concentrated bad driving looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aodbmS_43M

Now let me show you what concentrated bad driving looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aodbmS_43MThat's awesome. :D Can you imagine self-centered Americans in oversized, overpowered vehicles trying to navigate a busy intersection with no stoplights like that? :Banane45:

The past two days I've been taking slightly different route to work. It involves getting off the interstate and merging into a two lane road. I would normally merge into the rightmost lane, signal left, check for traffic, and merge into the left lane so I can make my left turn at the next light. The past two mornings I have successfully merged into the rightmost lane, only to have cars that followed me off the interstate merge directly into the left lane. I guess since most (OK, maybe not most, but a lot) drivers don't use their turn signals, they have forgotten what they mean when other people (me) use them.

I might start staying in the right lane, turning into a parking lot, exiting taking a left onto the street I want to turn on so I can go straight at the light. I'm not avoiding the light, I'm just approaching it from a different direction.

Some one on the access road was fuming a bit too much behind me so I slowed down more and Oh he was soooo mad. Funny thing was just as he was about to whip past me and road rage, a patrolman appeared. :p:p:p

Now let me show you what concentrated bad driving looks like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aodbmS_43M

hmmm, that must be what they call a chinese cluster f**k.....

:p

i got a note back from the person who nearly nailed me saturday:

I was driving the van you referenced, I was driving the posted speed limit on HWY 10 in the construction zone with plenty of traffic behind me. It is my understanding that when a vehicle is merging into traffic they do need to yield to the regular traffic flow, I thought you were going to yield and did not, I did hit my brakes very aggressively to avoid from hitting you in the side of your car and not loose control of my vehicle or cause anything behind me. Laurie I also could not move over do to the fact there were construction cones to the left of me. As far as tailgating Laurie you did bring traffic down to 35 mph so you could find a pen and write my plate number down from your rear view mirror, and the traffic was stacked as close on me.

I do not consider my self a reckless or aggressive drive, if anything quite the opposite. Laurie I was in fact not angered at what happened, but relieved you and I had the driving skills to avoid one another.



whew, we must have been in different parallel worlds or something.....the yield area to get to where i was is several hundred yards back from where this incident occured, so i really don't know where he expected me to yield to. i was in the lane, at or close to the speed limit, and he was already close behind me. if he had to pound the brakes to avoid hitting me, that tells me he was going faster than he should have been. and hit my door? what a load.....if i had not jumped onto the shoulder, he would have hit me from behind.

What is the statistic...90% of drivers believe their driving skills are well above average?

laurie,

If this driver gets more report than usual, he will be on the spot.

Skwyre--

I might start staying in the right lane, turning into a parking lot, exiting taking a left onto the street I want to turn on so I can go straight at the light. I'm not avoiding the light, I'm just approaching it from a different direction.

What you've described is (almost) the infamous Michigan Left (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michigan_left).

Wow, Laurie. That reminds me of the completely insane description given by the cop after he knocked me across an intersection. I described part of this in the thread about roundabouts.

I was in a borrowed '92 towncar and got caught in the middle of a chase. They were chasing a guy who stole a tv from Walmart and promptly totaled his car trying to exit the highway. This cop was the 3rd after him -- well after the first 2 I might add -- and caused the light to change when I was in the intersection. I couldn't see him due to traffic and didn't know how to interpret the opticons (the little white strobe lights) at the time because (as stated in that other thread) I STILL have not seen any documentation of how to read those yet. (If it is solid, the emergency vehicle is headed the same direction you are; blinking and it is proceeding through from some other direction).

I was trying to get out of the intersection at no more than 5-7mph, saw him at the last moment and only had time to stand on the brake pedal and crank the wheel. The car had just barely started to turn when he hit the passenger front fender just forward of the wheel. I can still vividly remember seeing the blur of the approaching car, the surreal buckling of the fender and hood as I watched the collision, and thinking right before impact, "Relax and just maintain pressure on the brake pedal and grip on the steering wheel -- you'll have to rotate around it."

Sure enough, he spun my car 270 degrees (I was clutching the wheel while hanging out in space over the passenger seat as I spun) AFTER bleeding off some rotational momentum through 3 impacts with the side of the patrol car while we were next to each other in the fleeting moments right after the impact, and ended up 3 lanes away from my original position directly to what had been my left. It wasn't until about 30 minutes later that I figured out the odd feeling in my arms and right leg must have been from the ABS kicking in. The cop car blew its airbags and ended up all the way through the intersection. The town car didn't seem to have accelerometers in it because the airbags didn't blow, but it was totaled.

The cop took statements from witnesses himself and claimed in the police report that he had followed procedure -- which calls for a complete stop at every intersection to verify that it is clear before proceeding through. He claimed that after doing this I had suddenly appeared in front of him and then he hit me.

I'll spare you the physics details I drew up before meeting with the city attorney, but suffice it to say that I easily proved his minimum speed had to have been 45mph entering the intersection (ignoring friction and weight distributions -- I just used average density as an approximation and pretended the cars were solid cylinders), the towncar was barely moving because it did not go any further in the original direction of travel, and the 240K mi, 4000lb, '92 towncar would have had to have accelerated to 60mph in 2.3s from a stop to be able to "appear" in front of the patrol car in the fashion claimed.

After 20 minutes the attorney threw out the Petty Misdemeanor (for obstruction of an emergency vehicle?!?) for lack of merit.

The only good thing that came of this encounter was that the owner of the car (now my father in law) had been trying to sell the car but hadn't had any luck for several months. The accident occurred only 25min or so after he left it with me and the insurance company gave him exactly what he had hoped to sell the car for.

It was a couple of months before I was totally comfortable with that intersection again -- which is unfortunate because it is the one closest to the townhouse we own (where the wife lived before we got married -- we now rent it out). I drive through that intersection nearly every day as it is on my normal route to and from work now.

I hope no one else has to go through that.

I might as well add another while I'm at it -- once I was trying to merge uphill onto a highway from work when the area was under construction. This means that there were concrete barriers along the side of the road where there should have been a shoulder. As I was getting up to speed a double trailer semi decided it could squeeze past me before I finished merging. Not quite. The first I saw of him was this huge grill frighteningly close in my side view mirror!! I squealed my tires in the effort to stop in time and though I managed it there were only a couple of inches on either side of my car as the truck passed. 60+mph truck on one side, concrete on the other, and the gap narrowing down to about a foot right ahead of me.

Needless to say, both events scared the **** out of me. I would have called in the truck's license plate but I couldn't read it before and he was going too fast after the encounter.

Blech. Bad memories.

Well, from the years of driving a vanpool I saw it all. Other than the put it away (solo) and get a room (dual) stories:

My favorite was - I kid you not - someone *reading* "Ocular Surgery News" while driving. Keep your oculum on the road please.

But today was a special moment. A pass, cutoff, and three lane exit, a Ford EhScahPay (Dory pronunciation, not a hybrid) with the driver *ON* *THE* *CELL* *PHONE*, beat, beat, beat, *AND* brushing their teeth. Multi-non-tasking to a new level.

-mr. bill

Maybe this is worthy of a thread in itself, but does anyone get the distinct impression some aggressive drivers get a "road rage high" as they weave and "shove" others by?

But today was a special moment. A pass, cutoff, and three lane exit, a Ford EhScahPay (Dory pronunciation, not a hybrid) with the driver *ON* *THE* *CELL* *PHONE*, beat, beat, beat, *AND* brushing their teeth. Multi-non-tasking to a new level.
-mr. bill
Well, here's three from my past:
(1) a woman KNITTING while "driving"
(2) someone with a miniature TV on the dash during their early morning commute on I-95 (I was wondering what that flickering light was on the dash as I came up from behind!)
(3) on my motorcycle on the NJ Turnpike, passing someone apparently driving alone and having a female head suddenly rise up and appear in the passenger seat position (yep, he was DEFINITELY paying attention to the road!)

Universal response: "Could you please just DRIVE?"

I was driving in the right line at 55mph in a 62mpg(100km/h) zone. A truck coming at 75pmh tailgated me up to the last feet before to change to the left line while the HW was empty. I quickly accelerated to 75mph ( bad for FE :mad:) took the phone number and called the company and let a message to the receptionist. The owner lets me four messages in two days, I was in many mettings. He seams to take it very seriously. I will talk with him next monday. I know an employee that will be much less arogant in the future.

Pierre M.

Maybe this is worthy of a thread in itself, but does anyone get the distinct impression some aggressive drivers get a "road rage high" as they weave and "shove" others by?

Adrenaline has a way of nullifying any tendency toward rational behavior, perhaps worse than alcohol since its onset is sudden usually involuntary. I know personally that if something really sets me off I **have** to get ahead of it before the Type-A (tendancy toward a physiological response..."fight or flight") causes the front part of my brain throws up its hands and give up. (Odd that it would have hands, eh?) There are millions of people like this on the road, so it's a guarantee that a certain percentage don't have the ability to keep the jungle instinct out of the picture. So in short, yes. In some of not most cases it's basically a drug-induced high. And that's why people end up dead as a result.

Oh, and I used the washer trick this morning...good times. :D

I encountered a Doge Ram 1500 4x4 in a parking space marked "COMPACT". The only open space was to his right, so I took it. Thankfully, the car immediately to my right parked a touch to their right so I was able to squeeze my Yaris in there with enough room for me to get out of the car.

Here's a picture of the truck on my way back out (the space to the right of me had been vacated):

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/09-10-07_1231-mod.jpg

Before I drove off I left a note under the driver's wiper that asked, "Which part of "COMPACT" did you not understand?!".

Edit: I should have mentioned that the full-sized parking area is just 100m to the left in the photograph, and it had lots of space open.

BailOut, did you see the bumper sticker on the back of the Ram? Can't make it out in the photo. Just curious.

That looks like it might be a CleanMPG sticker on the left side of your bumper. ;)

The bumper sticker on the truck was just for some local band.

You can see the bumper stickers on my Yaris in this thread (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5266).

BailOut, did you blur the license on the truck or does it have one of those plastic plates designed to mess with photo radar & stop light cameras?

I blurred it as a courtesy to the driver who showed no courtesy to anyone else.

Good, I was afraid somebody actually made a blocker that worked. It really bugs me that and "defense measures" against police are even legal, although I don't thinks blockers are.

I encountered a Doge Ram 1500 4x4 in a parking space marked "COMPACT". The only open space was to his right, so I took it. Thankfully, the car immediately to my right parked a touch to their right so I was able to squeeze my Yaris in there with enough room for me to get out of the car.

Here's a picture of the truck on my way back out (the space to the right of me had been vacated):

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/09-10-07_1231-mod.jpg

Before I drove off I left a note under the driver's wiper that asked, "Which part of "COMPACT" did you not understand?!".

Edit: I should have mentioned that the full-sized parking area is just 100m to the left in the photograph, and it had lots of space open.

We all know the pickup driver thinks they are compact compared to a 3500 Ram.

You should have parked in the Sub-Compact space yet to be developed. Now move that Yaris out so I can park my compact Mazda3.

:) :) :)

bailout: Were there fullsize spaces available or was he just making the best of what's available?

New bad driver: driving down 1st street with 2 "For sale" signs. BLOCKING THE WINDSHIELD!

(think enterprise commercials).

New bad driver: driving down 1st street with 2 "For sale" signs. BLOCKING THE WINDSHIELD!


My favorite similar incident was a woman driving a full-size SUV who had just picked up her dry cleaning. Rather than use all that interior space to hang it directly behind her like you're supposed to do, she decided to hang it in front of the front passenger window. She was making a left turn out of the lot and couldn't see anybody coming, so she just careened out into traffic and made everyone swerve around her.

bailout: Were there fullsize spaces available or was he just making the best of what's available?

Out of the dozen full-sized parking spaces I could see from there 6 or 7 were open. The driver of that truck simply did not want to walk the 100m as the compact space they took was directly across from the main entrance to the quad.

I suppose I should have given more back story. See, the owners of this space were some of the first in town to give the drivers of more efficient cars a break by giving them sole access to preferential parking, hence the row of compact spaces right across from the main entrance. Don't worry, I sent a copy of my picture - without the truck's license plate blurred out - to the management of the business complex. One can only hope there's a ticket in the works, or at least an official letter of admonishment.

A differnt events:
1. I had come out of a gas station and was heading back to the interstate. I took a left at the first light and stayed in the left lane as it was less than a quarter mile to the left turn for the interstate entrance. A truck coming up behind me couldn't wait and passed aggressivly in the right lane nearly taking my nose off as he moved back over. The entrance has two left lanes & he took the left one. I came up next to him on the right. When the light changed he messed something up, so I punched it (sorry mpg) up to the speed limit of 55 on the Interstate. The guy must have been doing 80 and wanted to be around me, but I reached the merge point first & started to move over. He was at least 3-4 lengths behind me & kept pushing until he had to jam on his brakes. He started honking & tailgating up to the point where the now single lane merged into the interstate. I had picked my spot in traffic and was merging smoothly, but the guy punched it again & took the space away. Well, it was hit him or go off the road & since he merged where he shouldn't, at speeds where he shouldn't, with the intent of blocking me, I just kept moving over until he jerked left into the next lane. Then he starts screaming & showing his cell phone & saying he's calling the cops...yea, like they are gonna care about the guy pulling away at 80-90mph who got harrased by the law abiding citizen. My wife was with me & wasn't very happy about the whole thing...I doubt I repeat the situation...with her in the car.

2. About 10-15 years ago, I was driving a full size cargo van and was, surpisingly in the left of 3 lanes & came up behind someone else who was considerably below the speed limit & frankly I think it wasn't becasue of saving gas, but because they just weren't paying attention. I did the old flash-to-pass and the jerk slammed on his brakes, with traffic behind me I didn't risk slamming on mine, but instead jerked left & passed on the shoulder, which this guy tried to block by accelerating hard. I ended up in front of him, but had to accelerate past the speed limit to do it, so I stabbed my brakes to get back to 55. He wasn't happy about it. This is something I woudln't do again with or without my wife in the car.

3. In the last few years, my primary problem has been agressive tailgating. The most agressive was a semi that was behind me at we entered, and I obeyed, a 35mph speed limit. This guy ended up literally 1-2 feet behind me, but I could see him leaning over his steering wheel and screaming "come on, come on" and other things I won't repeat. He honked his horn started backing up & charging up again, but I was already on cruise control and neither it nor I were going to go any faster. When the road expanded back to 2 lanes, I do wonder how close he came to cliping the corner of my truck, but it had to be less than a foot with at least a 10mpg difference.

4. Along the same lines at 3, I had a delivery or service truck from a local appliance dealer tailgating me early last spring. The roads were still wet from rain and this guy was staying about 1-2 car lengths from me at speeds varying from 30 to 45mph. Most of the roads were 2 lanes each way, so he could have passed, but it wouldn't have mattered as the traffic was fairly heavy anyway. He wasn't being agressive like the semi, but he was on his cell phone (in one hand), smoking (with the other hand), and occasionally taking a drink with whatever was left over and generally you got the impression that the conversaion and the smoke were the two things most concentrated on by the guy. I left an email to the company with the time & location of the event & even the truck number, but they didn't seem intrestested. You would think they would worry about a law suite with this guy out there.

About a year ago, I was looking at a company that had been in the news alot for a few weeks. They had a rear view mirror with 1 (forward) or 2 (forward/reverse) camera's and an audio recorder in it. If the vehicle exceeded certain G forces, the product would save the last 10-30 seconds of data before the incident and another 10-30 seconds after the incident. They even offered a service to evaluate the data to determine speeds/etc and different faults leading to the accident (like speeding or lack of attention). It was intended primarily for fleet vehicles but they were planning on making it available to everyone later. Great if you have kids, as a crash isn't necessary to trigger. If they drive like crazy or just sometimes don't pay attention & have to slam on their brakes or swerve hard, the data gets recorded & parents could monitor & correct. Also would be great evidence in a crash where you were not at fault. Any body remember this thing & what it was called? The company's web site had a few great accidents (no injuries) including one where an airport shuttle bus had its steering break. You can clearly see the driver moving the wheel & nothing happening. If it wasn't for that video the driver might have been considered at fault with the steering damage being a result of the crash.

I would have backed in about half an inch clear of the truck,
and gotten out the other side. And not blurred his plate, so
that this thread becomes his public wall of shame after you
reported how much white paint showed up on your car.
.
_H*

On the drive to work today, I'm gliding up to a red light (about 1/10th of a mile away). As traffic casually passes me to get up to the light, I suddenly find my car in the same lane as a Murano with the intent to kill from behind. She's flying up in my rearview mirror, so quickly that I actually braced for an impact and tense up on the wheel. Suddenly, I see the nose dive forward and she actually *locks* her brakes up with less than 100 yards to the stoplight. With possibly a yard to spare, she swerves around me and cuts back in to finally stop at the light. Now this is where it gets interesting.

I finally relax and roll up behind her several seconds later. I can see her shouting and shaking in the car, blond hair swinging about wildly. Then, her door opens! At this point, I'm merely amused and a bit curious as to what she is about to do. Oh, and I wrote down her license on my hand for good measure. ;)

She runs back to my car, all hip and with-it in an expensive-looking business suit (very professional ;) ) screaming the whole way about how I almost caused an accident and that she's going to call the police, yada yada yada. Mind you there are cars all around us, and folks are just watching and wondering. She gets her face in my window (tinted to 15%) and keeps screaming for me to get out. I'm just staring at her while trying my best not to laugh. I admit, I did smile. :)

She goes on for probably 15-20 seconds, and the light changes! Cars start to move around me, so I roll down my window just a crack while pointing to the traffic and said - "lady, now you're making everyone late." At which point to her disbelief, I start the car (of course I FASed!) and drove around her Murano, as the lanes had cleared out.

She followed me a bit, then went a different direction. I was laughing the whole way to work. :D

lol johnf514,

I still haven't figured out why people think getting to a red light faster makes them get to their destination faster, but I see it every day.

On the drive to work today, I'm gliding up to a red light (about 1/10th of a mile away). As traffic casually passes me to get up to the light, I suddenly find my car in the same lane as a Murano with the intent to kill from behind. She's flying up in my rearview mirror, so quickly that I actually braced for an impact and tense up on the wheel. Suddenly, I see the nose dive forward and she actually *locks* her brakes up with less than 100 yards to the stoplight. With possibly a yard to spare, she swerves around me and cuts back in to finally stop at the light. Now this is where it gets interesting.

I finally relax and roll up behind her several seconds later. I can see her shouting and shaking in the car, blond hair swinging about wildly. Then, her door opens! At this point, I'm merely amused and a bit curious as to what she is about to do. Oh, and I wrote down her license on my hand for good measure. ;)

She runs back to my car, all hip and with-it in an expensive-looking business suit (very professional ;) ) screaming the whole way about how I almost caused an accident and that she's going to call the police, yada yada yada. Mind you there are cars all around us, and folks are just watching and wondering. She gets her face in my window (tinted to 15%) and keeps screaming for me to get out. I'm just staring at her while trying my best not to laugh. I admit, I did smile. :)

She goes on for probably 15-20 seconds, and the light changes! Cars start to move around me, so I roll down my window just a crack while pointing to the traffic and said - "lady, now you're making everyone late." At which point to her disbelief, I start the car (of course I FASed!) and drove around her Murano, as the lanes had cleared out.

She followed me a bit, then went a different direction. I was laughing the whole way to work. :D

This was hillarious! - just like a recent internet rant by a speeder.

If only this was on the local news - would she still be self-rightous?

Narcassist aggressive drivers call those that are "in their way" fascists, smug, etc....get it? :p

I've never understood people who get out of their car in a road-rage fit. It's like taking your helmet off during a hockey/football/NASCAR fight. What do you do if someone like Andre the Giant gets out of the car and has anger management (or bipolar) issues? There are just too many people out there that could be packing or just looking for an excuse to bludgeon someone.

If I had people come up to my window often, I believe I would have to get a fake police badge. I bet that would shut them up pretty quickly (probably illegal though). Or even better, dark tinted windows and a scary Halloween type mask... HAHA Imagine someone jacked up on road rage adrenalin seeing something like that... booga booga booga... :) I bet video cameras would work pretty good too.

Of course, the logical part of me says never roll down your windows and plan your escape once you see the driver exit the vehicle. If you FAS'd, you might want to go ahead and start the vehicle. Am I the only one that goes through these type of mental fire drills all day long?

Of course, the logical part of me says never roll down your windows and plan your escape once you see the driver exit the vehicle. If you FAS'd, you might want to go ahead and start the vehicle. Am I the only one that goes through these type of mental fire drills all day long?
No you're not the only one. One more suggestion: do as johnf514 did and leave enough space between you and the car ahead so you're not blocked in when the light changes. IOW, try to leave yourself an escape route if you need it.

johnf154, great story!

I left one story one from when I moved from California to Illinois. I rented a moving van & was towing my car behind. I had done this before when I went from Arkansas to California, but I had rented a diesel for that journey & I really wish I done it again. Going through the mountains I though I was actually going to have to unload my car & leave it, drive to the top in the moving van, and come back for the car to reload. With the gas all the way down, the van was down to about 7-8mph before it kicked into 1st, at that point it barely accelerated back up to around 12-14mph (took about a minute) and it would then go back to 2nd gear and quickly drop back to 7-8mph. I was a good 15 to 25 minutes getting up that mountain, but at least it was quick getting down the other side.

The bad driver moment came later in the trip out in flat land. I was mostly the slow vehicle at speeds around 50, but eventually I found someone slower...a guy pulling a boat with a mini-pickup. The speed diference was only about 1mph, but no one was behind me for at least a mile, so I moved to the left lane & punched it for the little bit of power left. By the time I reached about 20 yards distance from the other guy, a minivan showed up and moved to the right lane to pass me, but before he got around the distance between me & the the boat-toter had closed to the point it couldn't pass. It took me a good minute or two to finish the pass & move back over. Apparently this guy thought the "block" was personal and a direct offence to his Americanism. Big fat **** too. He had his equally big wife & fat little children in the car too, so I knew they was a family with either a genetic or, more likely, self control problem. He actually comes up next to me & signals me to pull over. I just ignore him, but at the same time he is making me nervous and I had actually decided that if it came down to it, if I saw him go for a gun (and I thought he might) I shove him, his car, and his whole family off the road. I don't feel bad about the idea for him or his wife since she wasn't doing anything to help, but hurting kids, even ones likely to grow up & be agressive buggers like their dad didn't sit well. Anyway he never did go for a gun, but he started driving his car like he was going to slam me off the road. A minivan vs 27 foot moving van; That wasn't going to work; He eventually accelerated & moved in front of me and started slowing down. I had traffic to the left and couldn't go around on the shoulder so I had to slow down too, but by the time we reached about 20 a gap opened up & I started going around him. He tried the same trick twice more before he gave up & drove on. I was actually shaken mostly my the idea that this guy was so stupid, and large, I would have had to use the vehicle to hurt him in order to protect my own safety. But I was also weary for at least another hour before I stopped watching my mirrors constantly, and despite being low on gas I bypassed several stations because they weren't busy enough for me to feel comfortable. I did learn one important lesson...having a cell phone isn't enough, it needs to be where you can get it, but at that time it may not have mattered as cell service on the interstates was still pretty poor and spotty.

Of course, the logical part of me says never roll down your windows and plan your escape once you see the driver exit the vehicle. If you FAS'd, you might want to go ahead and start the vehicle. Am I the only one that goes through these type of mental fire drills all day long?

That's one of the many reasons never to get too close to the next car at a light. If you're up against the next guy's bumper you have zero chance of finding a path out.

My worst bad driver event occured 3 years ago when my car was still non-aero. I was driving on I-26 at around 5AM (so there was very little traffic) at the posted speed limit (60mph). Up behind me comes a semi in my lane and a car alongside him in the passing lane. As the car passes me on my left, here comes the semi passing me in the emergency lane on my right. It turns out to be a Con-Way double trailer and then he started pulling back into my lane before his 2nd trailer had completely passed me. Fortunately by that time the car on my left was gone, so i was able to pull over into the passing lane until the semi was completely past me. At the time this happened, that car and semi were the only other vehicles in sight. The truck driver's total disrespect for the law made me started wondering if the "Con" stood for convict and if that was where they were hiring their pool of drivers from. What made this potentially even worst was that another 1/2 mile further on down the road there was a 6"x6"x8' wooden beam laying in the emergency lane, which could have had catastrophic effects if the truck wheels had launched that into the air.

...here comes the semi passing me in the emergency lane on my right..... That's a criminal behavior case. Did you report that to the police ?

PM

. That's a criminal behavior case. Did you report that to the police ?

Generally police won't do anything about these situations unless someone was hurt, property got damaged, or "they" observed the behavior. But I'd love to know if anybody has had a different experience.

If home video of illegal driving was actually used to ticket, I'd have two video cameras mounted in my car running whenever I was driving. I could rake in money for the state. Wish the US used more photo radar & the like.

On my way up the foothills on Mount Rose Highway this morning a lone male driver (first clue) in a BMW (second clue) with California plates (case closed) who had been 3 car lengths behind me and in the left lane for about 3 miles decided that he just had to get in front of me as the highway merged down to two lanes. It didn't seem to matter to him that we were like 18 or 19 vehicles back in a procession heading up the mountain (I don't recall ever having that many vehicles in front of me on a non-construction morning... odd).

He didn't decide to do this until I was already in the merging area and he was two car lengths back, so to accomplish it he went into oncoming traffic which a) caused him to pass me so closely that I could see the buffing swirls in his paint job, and b) caused 3 oncoming drivers to swerve out, putting one of them onto the soft shoulder. I gave him a good dose of the clown horn and my digital bird, as did others.

As we made our way up the mountain at 10 MPH lower than the limit (as is guaranteed to happen any time there's more than two or three vehicles ahead of you, making his passing me at the merge that much more idiotic) he never got more than 1 car length off of the car in front of him and he swerved out of our lane at least 5 times. Not a drunk kind of swerve but an "I am the King of the road and you are peasants." kind of thing.

Yesterday on the drive home, as I was approaching a merge point, there was an H3 in the left lane that was clearly intent on keeping all mergers out from in front of him. He consistently stayed 6-12 inches from the car in front at speeds from 20 to 30mph. I actually was starting to think he was being towed or at least wanted to stay with the guy in front of him, but when the road divided back into 2 lanes a mile down the way, he went around on the left almost shoving the guy in front of him into the right lane. I did get to pass him another few miles down the road due to a backup from blinking reds at a major intersection.

Separately, and quite a bit later, at a four way stop. I stopped, a minivan going the other way stopped, and then a car to my right stopped. I was already starting to go, when the car, driven by a teenage girl, took off right in front of me. I'm honestly not sure if she even saw me despite driving lights. I honked, and she actually looked at me with a "whats your problem" look. Glad my wife was with me to calm me back down...I wanted to follow & at least give you a good talking to.

Question: how to you expect merging to work?
I usually divide into 2 situations...moving traffic where I merge into the stream early to maintain good traffic flow; and stop/go traffic where I usually keep to my (usually right) lane until the merge point so that the backed up traffic. In the stop/go traffic other merge early and frankly I think cause a lot of problems/hatred towards those that don't.

Merging works best when everyone lengthens their following
distance well in advance so that *after* the merge, everyone
is at a good safe following distance. That's called the
"zipper thing". I do my part of it all the time, obviating
the specious "but what if someone jumps into the gap?"
counterargument I get all the time, and watch in amusement at
the many other people who evidently can't take time off their
phone to handle it correctly.
.
_H*

some days (most) i swear i am the only person in the world who goes the speed limit.

today.....i had just gotten off i94 just east of hudson, wi, and was heading south on a winding 2 lane road, limit 55. a semi had also entered the same road, and was a ways behind me.....until he got up to speed. then he proceeded for at least 10 miles to ride less than one car length behind me. i was doing the limit and when i tapped my brakes, he moved closer. he was so close i could not see his plate. nothing would move him back. when we finally came to a 45 zone, he stayed right on my rear, causing me to miss the left turned i needed to make, which he took. i did get the name of the trucking company, and found their number after i got to my motel. i called and got voice mail. however, they are located in a town which i go through on my way back home. it may be sunday, but i plan to check out and see if that's where the truck works from. then i will call them. he was endangering my life and that of those in the oncoming lane and those behind him.

i hate driving anywhere anymore because the limit is never enough. i am sick to death of it.

Always see the worst at a 2 to 1 lane merge before crossing the bridge on highway 146... usually on the way home from work... It's as if they think forcing your way ahead or fighting to be in front is going to make a difference... there's only 50 or so cars ahead of you in line already, all going 40-45 mph, waiting on a red light on the other side =p It seems merging in general people just suck at, because being another car ahead is really going to make a dent in that travel time....

And of course, there's always the 'fly into the next lane, floor it, then cut in front of you' while coasting up to a red light less than a hundred yards away =)

Always see the worst at a 2 to 1 lane merge...
That happens all the time. :( Starting to make it a little harder for drivers behind me to pull that crap.

After an experience last week, I've started to get a bit cagey coming down onramps. This one is somewhat blind, just after an overpass, and the abutment makes it tricky to see if the right lane is clear to merge onto. I checked carefully to be sure the right lane was clear and then hopped onto the highway as quickly as I could. With that, the BMW that had been following me down the ramp gassed it and passed me on the right, on the on-ramp's merge zone. So now I plant myself exactly in the middle to block maneuvers like that. At least they have to zoom by on my left where I can see them better.

Was riding in the in-laws minivan in rural Minnesota on Saturday night. We got stuck behind someone hauling a new mattress/box spring in a trailer who was traveling below the speed limit, probably to keep his load from floating away. Naturally, a small convoy piled up behind him, but most seemed patient. After all, these are two-lane country roads, at dusk, curvy and hilly.

Well, we pull into the small town where we were to meet some relatives for dinner, and suddenly a young guy in an Explorer floored it to pass about four cars, including the mattress truck. Mind you, this is in a residential, two-lane, 25-mph area. INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, which had to dive right into some front yards. Everyone honking. Then, Mr. Explorer got caught at a stop light a few blocks up.

One-Delta-Ten-Tango. --RN

Well, we pull into the small town where we were to meet some relatives for dinner, and suddenly a young guy in an Explorer floored it to pass about four cars, including the mattress truck. Mind you, this is in a residential, two-lane, 25-mph area. INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, which had to dive right into some front yards. Everyone honking. Then, Mr. Explorer got caught at a stop light a few blocks up.

One-Delta-Ten-Tango. --RN

i am sorry to say that passes like this are becoming a regular occurence on the roads i travel in minnesota......and in wisconsin, this weekend. coming into pepin, wi at 45, the posted. some guy who's been chomping at the bit behind two of us passes us both on the yellow no passing line. a little closer into town i saw a cop with his lights off sitting and watching. i almost pulled over and told him, but figured he wouldn't care.

He nearly became a Ford Exploder.

"There are about 160,000 road accidents in Canada every year. According to the Transportation Safety Board approximately 2800-2900 people are killed on Canadian roads each year". If my calculation is good, there is 18 accidents every hour and a person is killed every 3 hours, 24 hour per day, 365 day per year. The Canada will lose +/- 100 soldiers this year. That will make a lot of noise. But the lost of 2800 to 2900 persons will just be a statistic. Not more than this.

All those deads are mostly the result of inadequate behaviors, many time from the dead himself (very small is defects). This to say, if there is 18 accidents every single hours in Canada, it's pretty likely that a day or another, we will be victim of the "inadequate behavior". For me, it's part of the equation. I'am convinced that I will have an accident with this HCH and this just because of the speed difference I have with the mainsteam. I kind of mathematical.

:(

PierreM

And it almost appened this morning, by the way. A truck tailgating.

I'm coming up the interstate this morning in the right lane at about 58 mph, usually the semi's see me and move over to go around. Well, I had one come up behind me (no one in the other 2 lanes at all) and get right on my bumper then started flashing his lights at me like he wanted me to get into the left lane? or go faster? or who knows? I held my ground while watching his lights inch right into my lower window (prius owners know what I'm talking about) then at about 3 feet of following distance he whips it over into the middle lane, making his trailer sway back and fourth, and powers on by me not quite fully in the other lane. His trailer was close enough to make me move into the shoulder just a bit. So I did what any pissed off driver would do........I sped up and paced him at 65 mph so he couldn't get back over for about 2 miles......to bad no cops around to see:mad:. Speed limit for trucks is 55mph. I try not to be part of the problem but sometimes my anger gets the best of me.

get right on my bumper then started flashing his lights at me like he wanted me to get into the left lane? or go faster? or who knows?

I am always wondering at this also. If they don't like my speed now, who's going to like it if I switch to a faster lane?

I can appreciate a driver hating to lose their momentum and having to brake behind me. I'm sure it irritates them as much as it irritates me to interrupt a glide--just for different reasons. To them, they lost a second or two of time. To me, it means I wasted some gas to stop, had unnecessary loss of brake pad lining, and I'm now going to have to toss out more gas to re-accelerate to speed again.

But they have only themselves to blame for this; they can easily avoid such braking by keeping with the flow and simply observing/anticipating traffic ahead. But it feels more satisfying for those few seconds they can go fast, so they do.

I had a good example of bad driver justice the other day. I was gliding thru a green light intersection when some guy in a new jeep grand cherokee almost noses into me trying to turn right at his red light. He gives me a look like I'm in his way. I get by and he flys past me in a 30 mph zone while I'm going the limit. He whips in front of me and keeps going. no blinkers of course. About that time I'm thinking it would be nice if a cop witnessed this guy driving. A patrol car comes flying out from a hiding spot and a couple blocks down the next crossroad finally catches up to this guy and pulls him over :D. that made my day.

And what's with the tailgaters that don't pass when they have plenty of opp to do so:confused:

tarabell; It may not be as different a reason as you think. Semi drivers aren't just concerned about time, but about gas & it takes a fair bit to accelerate back up. However, please don't take that as excusing him. I hate bad truckers. Most in my family still rememeber whey there were the "knights of the road", and would often assist stranded motorists with at least a CB call to the right people if not actually stopping. The business is too tight and the drivers too concerned with deadlines & bottom lines.

I would however like to mention something at the other end of the topic...when going on vacation, my wife & I both neglected to put the tailgate up on the truck. A fedex guy that was passing, slowed down & signaled to me what was wrong. I regret I never sent an email off to the company to let them know if may have saved our vacation. I'll start a good driver thread. Hopefully we will have a few nice things to say...

jwxr7; It would have been hilarous if you stopped & asked the police for help/directions/whatever to see how long you could delay the *. However police often get jumpy when somebody stops while they are dealing with someone, so it probably would have been a bad idea.

:Banane35: Beer for Jeff, :Banane38: or a Cpt. Morgans if you like. Harrowing tale, d*mn glad to hear those f*cked up driver's got some Karma payback.

Des, Yep I always get a kick out of the people that learn I can magically make the lights change. One in particular gets them every time. When the light after turn 7 goes green, the light at turn 8 will go red in 10 seconds. I pulse up to 35kph (20mph) then coast to a green light. People loose it and floor it around me EVERY DAY to chase the green. It goes red when they get half way there without fail. I always roll up behind them right as the light turns green. Guess they feel victorious. Better in front of me than behind me. If I still had my mustang I might be able to close the distance between light 1 and 2 in < 10 seconds but I'd approach turn 8 doing about 70-80 mph with about 40 yards to brake back down to 30 mph to have any hope of making the turn 8 without rolling into the ditch.

Only got to post 35, but here's my post.

After turn 6 I have a school zone so I've timed turn 6 so I hit it at about 15-16mph just in case any kiddies are about. I then continue the glide down to about 10 mph and pulse up to 20 so long as no one is anywhere near the cross walk. If there are some kiddies, I keep in the glide eventually stopping at the cross walk.

This morning a lady absolutely lost her mind on me right in front of the kiddies. She was tattoed to my bumper at the beginning of the school zone. I entered the SZ at 18mph about a half block before turn 6 to bleed down to 16 mph for the turn. She caught up to me at the begining of the SZ doing about 40 breaking hard just in time to drop from 40 to 25 for the SZ and much to her rage 16 for me. Well the fact that I didn't pulse up after the turn and continued to coast down while the kiddies clear the cross walk was more than she could take. I spy her screaming at her windshield shaking and slamming her steering wheel with both hands. Going 10mph in a school zone while the kiddies pile up in the cross walk really freaked her out. Guess she saw it like a traffic light. If you see kiddies coming you better floor it to "make it" before they hit the cross walk and force you to stop.

Man am I glad my kids aren't going to that school. When they do, I'm volenteering as a crossing gaurd to keep those crazy b*tches at bay!

11011011

This thread is getting really long. Looks like we've got a lot
to say about this. That's fairly poignant testimony on the
base problem in general.
.
_H*

This thread is getting really long. Looks like we've got a lot
to say about this. That's fairly poignant testimony on the
base problem in general.
.
_H*Today I just happened to see a troller at PriusChat respond to a post that fits in this thread made back on 03/01/07...suggested I need meds because I had a problem with losers like him that need all three lanes of a freeway, the access lanes and the shoulder to weave and do 80. :rolleyes: I'm glad to have missed that one...

Generally police won't do anything about these situations unless someone was hurt, property got damaged, or "they" observed the behavior. But I'd love to know if anybody has had a different experience.For the most part I'd agree with that. Unless they see it, they won't do anything. The one exception is if you genuinely feel the driver may be on drugs or drunk. I had a guy rage on me that was obviously drunk... real drunk... I called 911 gave the operator the make, model, highway and mile marker. Since it was an interstate (I-45) the response was darn near instant. Within two miles there were patrolmen on each side of the southbound lane with lights blazing in anticipation of this guy. He got seriously nailed. There were so many cops I didn't think I was the cause. Must have been more than a few people calling in on this guy. I've called in one or two other drunk drivers over the years but I've never seen 4 cops come to my rescue like they did that night.

11011011

I was merging from one highway to another this morning with an Explorer on my tail. As we were coming up on the toll plaza I only pulsed up to 45 mph so I could glide into the plaza without being too much of a hazard. The Explorer was clearly upset that I wasn't going 60 mph, only to slam on my brakes in a 0.1 mile. I noticed that there was an EZ-Pass stuck to the windscreen, so I hung in the right most lane so she could pass. She didn't. So I merge left to go through the "EZ-Pass Only" lane. She goes all the way to the right to the "Full Service" lane. (Apparently the EZ-Pass wasn't working?) Much to my delight, when I get through the plaza, she's still waiting. So I nicely move all the way to the right again and end up right in front of her again. She was not happy. Normally, I stay in the middle lane until the traffic thins so I can get to the right lane easily, but I had the opportunity today to go all the way right. It was totally for spite, but it left me with a big smile on my face, which I gladly showed to the Explorer as she sped by.

Most people that drive big SUVs and tailgate for no apparent reason has about the same amount of brain cells as a cup of yogurt (without the flavor).

They rank alongside other bad drivers:

Bus drivers - pull out from a bus stop as though it's their right of way.

Coach drivers on the highways - Feel it mandatory to drive in the middle lane for the entire journey

Oldsmobile drivers - Drive on highway at 40 mph, usually aged over 65 and wearing a silly hat

BMW drivers - Think that all 4 lanes of a highway are solely for their personal use as overtaking / undertaking lanes and treat them accordingly.

Mustang drivers - Think it's appropriate to drive up somebody exhaust pipe when they're already doing 75 mph and start flashing their lights.

Light commercial truck/van drivers - see all of the above - add - driving at the highest speed their crappy little truck/van will go while using a cell phone, eating a Big Mac, smoking, tailgating and making inappropriate gestures to any attractive female driver nearby:eek:.

And don’t get me started on camping trailers !!!! LOL:p

Bus drivers - pull out from a bus stop as though it's their right of way.


I have no issues with mass transit vehicles having the right of way, and have always been very accommodating to their function. They're a bigger part of the solution that anyone driving a car.

The law in Ontario was changed last year so that motorists must yield to mass transit buses when the bus is pulling back into traffic after stopping for passengers.

I only posted this just get a few laughs—it was not meant in anyway to be taken seriously. My attaint was not to degrade mass transit in at any rate. I saw all these really negative threads and just thought I would post this just for laughs. If people find this offensive I will delete it.

Sorry... wasn't trying to ruin your fun.

I'm sorry 2tonjellybean. I should have clearly stated the the post was strictly humor. Sometimes I post things w/out much thought.

No, it's not offensive, it's just that a lot of that doesn't
match what we see in real life these days. I see very few Old
Men In Hats doing 40, despite the popular reference. It's
certainly much more than Mustangs flying along leaning on the
high beams. We're just trying to detail what we see with our
own eyes today, rather than recount traditional rumors. We've
heard all that before.
.
_H*

Bus drivers - pull out from a bus stop as though it's their right of way.

Coach drivers on the highways - Feel it mandatory to drive in the middle lane for the entire journey

Mustang drivers - Think it's appropriate to drive up somebody exhaust pipe when they're already doing 75 mph and start flashing their lights.


First I'm not offended either & I mostly agree, except...
While people should give rightaway where possible to buses, I have had to slam on my brakes more times than I like to think about as one started to pull away from the curb. Apparently their turn signal doesn't mean "I would like out please", it means "stop or die".

buses / motor coaches on highways....when in heavy traffic areas with lots of entrances and exits (the only place you usually find 3 lane hwys), I'm glad they keep to the middle. Leaves room on the left for passing & helps people enter/exit. In downtown chicago where some ramps go straight onto the Interstate without any acceleration lane, I especially apreciate.

Mustang drivers? Sounds more like the little Japanese imports that, instead of hypermiling, get souped up driven 40mph faster than anything else in traffic. I hate seeing 2 of those things in my rear view racing.

Duke, not to worry. We all have the invisible words 'IMO' in front of our posts.

It’s true I’m more tolerant of buses than cars as far as yielding right of way, but that goes for anyone 4 times bigger than I am. ;) Kind of like the 900 lb gorilla joke.

Now for my unfair stereotypes:

Taxi drivers are horribly erratic. You’d think they’d be masters of smooth and efficient driving, but they’re the worst.

Tow trucks demand right of way as if they’re police or a fire truck, I think they think having emergency lights on their roof gives them some kind of authority.

When I first started driving we had a saying: "never trust anyone in a Falcon." Still wise words if you ever see one.

Had a lady pull out in front of me in a shopping center as I was driving down the street. She was pulling out from a store, looked right, kept looking, and made the turn. And NEVER looked left. :rolleyes:

Fortunately, I was watching her the whole time and was just coasting slowly in neutral. As she pulled out, I laid on the horn (note to self: get better horn). She looked at me as if I had 43 heads. :D

Last evening on the way home I was sitting at the red light at the end of the offramp from I-95, waiting to turn left over the overpass. Light went green for me, I started moving, and a van coming from my left careened through the light, which was red for him. Luckily I had seen this happen before (I was #2 in line for that one) so I was not at all surprised, but I was lucky not to get rear ended by the guy behind me. The view to the left is somehwat obstructed so I try to remember to always look carefully to my left there.
I need better horns too, though this guy would not have stopped for anything.

I was victim of a tailgating that turn very very bad:mad:....for the tailgater.:rolleyes:. I must admit, it's a pleasure that cannot been equal (no relation with my sexual life) of seeing two rotating red beacons on top of a car stoping such tailgaters.:D

PierreM.

Today male tailgater was following me as I crept ever so slowly into a red light at a very lovely 92 mpg. With a very annoyed angry expression on his face he passed me (though fortunately without gestures or words), and ended up STOPPED. Alas I didn't end up making the light switch but at least got a certain pleasure in watching him sit at the light too. :-)

The funny thing is that I can hear this idiot talking to someone. "You'll never BELIEVE this idiot driver today!! Was going 5 mph in a 40 mph zone." (would fail to mention the light up right up ahead of course).


--des

I went for a long recreational bike ride today. Coming down a fairly straight section of canyon, with no shoulder, a Tahoe felt the need to honk and pass me at the same time as I met an oncoming car. These two cars were the only ones within a half mile of me. A slight adjustment in speed, from a ways back (I was very visible in neon yellow), would have made it possible to pass politely. This reminded me of a truely bad driver...

Riding up the same canyon, someone driving at a leisurely pace very politely gave me the whole lane as they passed. However, I was going around a very blind 25 mph left hand corner at the time! He was in the oncoming lane, with about 20 foot visibility!

On my way to refuelling after the ride, I headed through campus. I waited my turn at a 4 way stop, then started through the intersection. The cross traffic cars waited, but a couple of bikes rode through the intersection without slowing. One noticed me about the time I yelled "pay attention", a few feet from colliding with me. I was still wearing neon yellow, so hardly invisible.

Time for my soapbox... THIS EVEN MAY BE YOU

Few people learn to ride from competent cyclists. Many adults never re-think how they cycle, or how what they learned in Driver's Ed applies to cycling. Many just ride randomly as if they are still 8 years old. If you live in fear of traffic, or ride facing oncoming traffic, or ride very differently than you drive, this DOES apply to you. If you think that cyclists are obligated to ride in the gutter to avoid inconveniencing you, this applies to you.

Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as car drivers. This means riding on the right hand side of the road, using the right-most lane (or shoulder, if it is adequate --there are a few special rules) if moving more slowly than other traffic & not preparing for a left turn. Turns should be made from the same lane as would be appropriate for a car. You are allowed to (and should) take the lane if it isn't wide enough for cars to pass you safely. If any of this sounds wrong or foreign, I suggest reading www.bikexprt.com/index.htm

I'll mention the moron who decided he just HAD to turn East out of a gas station NOW. Never mind the only "hole" was by backtracking (driving wrong way on slant) through 1/4 mile and 3 lanes of moving ONCOMING TRAFFIC. Blew my horn at him to keep him from getting T-Boned and he started cussing me out.

Stupid Jerks. Can't live with 'em. Can't shoot 'em.

That reminds me, we have a really great custom around here. If traffic is backed up on the highway and you were too busy talking on the cell, applying makeup, or reading the paper to see it in time to get off, it is appropriate to turn around and go **down** the **on ramp**. Nevermind that there are probably people getting **on** who are equally unaware of the situation and probably trying to gain speed. I saw one guy do it three or four weeks ago and figured it was just a fluke. But then the GF told me she got caught in a jam and practically the entire right-hand lane was turning around and getting off the highway this way. The frequency almost makes me wonder if there's some bizarre law here that allows it.

A different sort of bad driver.

Came up behind a car where the transmission was grinding horribly. The thing was only going about 5mph. He was in the left turn lane, and I thought he was going to pull into the bank parking lot (the first place he could pull in after 1/2 mile of nothing), but he continued up to the light & slowly went through, holding up oncoming traffic when he couldn't get all the way on the arrow. I could actually smell the hot, grinding metal as I passed.

Who treats their car like that? Every mile must be costing him more $ in repairs.

That reminds me, we have a really great custom around here. If traffic is backed up on the highway and you were too busy talking on the cell, applying makeup, or reading the paper to see it in time to get off, it is appropriate to turn around and go **down** the **on ramp**. Nevermind that there are probably people getting **on** who are equally unaware of the situation and probably trying to gain speed. I saw one guy do it three or four weeks ago and figured it was just a fluke. But then the GF told me she got caught in a jam and practically the entire right-hand lane was turning around and getting off the highway this way. The frequency almost makes me wonder if there's some bizarre law here that allows it.

Nope, no law. I'm familiar with that behavior, and I'm starting to see it here in the Minneapolis area! :(

Have you seen the one yet where someone doesn't actually get off the ramp, sees the bad traffic, and throws it into reverse?? :eek:

Wait - no law that says you can't turn around and go down a one-way ramp?! Seems kinda fishy to me.

How bought the people who miss their ramp, back up at high speed & then go up the ramp, and I swear they do it without ever looking for any traffic around them.

Also the people who miss their ramp, and cut across the divider area, usually coming within a car length or two of hitting the safety rails and nearly slamming an exiting car off the ramp.

Wait - no law that says you can't turn around and go down a one-way ramp?! Seems kinda fishy to me.

I meant, no law allowing it. :)

Ahh, gotcha. ;)

Have you seen the one yet where someone doesn't actually get off the ramp, sees the bad traffic, and throws it into reverse??

Seen that.

How bought the people who miss their ramp, back up at high speed & then go up the ramp, and I swear they do it without ever looking for any traffic around them.

Seen that too.

If traffic is backed up on the highway and you were too busy talking on the cell, applying makeup, or reading the paper to see it in time to get off, it is appropriate to turn around and go **down** the **on ramp**.

That is a new one on me -- "I HAD to get off". Sounds like the same drivers who cut me off when entering the freeway "well I HAD TO get on". No, no one HAS to trade off patience for lawfulness and safety. You choose to.

No really bad drivers this week, just the normal bad variety for me.
Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as car drivers. This means riding on the right hand side of the road, using the right-most lane (or shoulder, if it is adequate --there are a few special rules) if moving more slowly than other traffic & not preparing for a left turn. Turns should be made from the same lane as would be appropriate for a car. You are allowed to (and should) take the lane if it isn't wide enough for cars to pass you safely. If any of this sounds wrong or foreign, I suggest reading www.bikexprt.com/index.htmYep, I'll confirm that as lately as 1986 they were still teaching this in Texas Drivers Ed. A bike is basically a motorcycle without the engine as far as our law is concerned. Only governing factor is minimum speed (which has no default value in Texas). So If I see a cyclist on I-45 (no minimum speed from Houston to Galveston), when I'm trying to get on, they actually have the right of way and I'm obligated by law to zipper in behind them. Unfortunately 99.99% of Texans (CMPG'ers are the 0.01%) would drive right over. If your lucky they might wonder what that mangled up bike frame was in their rear view mirror.

The funny thing is that I can hear this idiot talking to someone. "You'll never BELIEVE this idiot driver today!! Was going 5 mph in a 40 mph zone." (would fail to mention the light up right up ahead of course)."<" are facts inserted... I imagine the diatribe would go like this "Got behind some moron going 10 mph <in a school zone> and then all of the sudden just stopped <at a cross walk for the 6 year-old that ran across>, I mean there was no light or nothing, just stopped <because a young child was in the road>." Something like that Des?

I'll mention the moron who decided he just HAD to turn East out of a gas station NOW. Never mind the only "hole" was by backtracking (driving wrong way on slant) through 1/4 mile and 3 lanes of moving ONCOMING TRAFFIC. Blew my horn at him to keep him from getting T-Boned and he started cussing me out.Yeah in Texas where all the SUVs are jacked up to insane hights, the common practice is to test out your Truck/SUV's off road capabilities by taking advantage of all that space on the median. They just tear over the curbs, grass, trees until they get to another patch of road. I've heard it said that the highway department uses these ruts to tell where to put future highway exits :D.

That reminds me, we have a really great custom around here. If traffic is backed up on the highway and you were too busy talking on the cell, applying makeup, or reading the paper to see it in time to get off, it is appropriate to turn around and go **down** the **on ramp**. Nevermind that there are probably people getting **on** who are equally unaware of the situation and probably trying to gain speed. I saw one guy do it three or four weeks ago and figured it was just a fluke. But then the GF told me she got caught in a jam and practically the entire right-hand lane was turning around and getting off the highway this way. The frequency almost makes me wonder if there's some bizarre law here that allows it.Well after Rita, they have special markers on roads that you can go the wrong way on during a hurricane. Technically the Govoner is supposed to "enable" that right in a time of emergency, but I figure people just thought he did when they go tearing down the on-ramp.

Wow, I'm starting to feel much better about my efforts in this hostile environment. :)

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/stories/2005/06/06/daily25.html

"Texas drivers are among the worst in the country, and Austin drivers are among the worst of the worst, according to a survey released Tuesday by Allstate Insurance Co."

"An internal analysis of crashes reported by holders of Allstate insurance shows Austin residents went, on average, only 7.5 years between automobile crashes, as opposed to the nationwide average of 10 years."

Brick, according to the same Allstate stats, Columbia SC is the worst. This may have been mentioned before.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17964471/

I refuse to believe that Austin drivers are worse than Dallas/Houston :).

San Antonio drivers are famous for one thing. Transferring from highway to frontage road or vice versa, they will stop at the yield sign. It's a mystery why this happens, but it's almost like it's a cultural norm that has taken hold.

http://www.frommers.com/cgi-bin/WebX?128@@.eec1a20

"San Antonio is a great city to visit. You will have fun, and you will have great weather. Watch out for the drivers, they think a yield sign is actually a stop sign. Have you ever seen someone try to merge onto the freeway stopped at the on ramp?"

This isn't really bad drivers... just bad juju all around:

I attend(ed) U of IL. We have peds, bikes, motorcycles, cars, and buses jammed into 4 sq. mi.

Due to density, we have a lot of low speed streets (marked "cars allowed with due caution only"), one ways, and a series of 6 lights spaced 100ft apart at one section.

I have seen pedestrians walk in front of buses, runners blundering into blind intersections, cars running bikes offroad or over, bikes mowing over ("schwinning") peds, bikes turning Right from central "Left turn only" lanes (20 ft in front of my truck), bikes going wrong ways down one ways, cars turning in front of buses, buses turning/pulling out INTO cars/bikes, etc...

And it is always worst with visitors and freshman. Yikes.

Has anyone else noticed that stable (reoccuring) traffic situations tend to flow smoothly? I'm talking High Schools (not elementary), commuter trains, other situations where people know/know of each other.

One to enjoy.

After picking up my wife at the station, we headed home. The journey starts on a road with 2 lanes each way with speeds starting at 35 going to 40, then 45. Usually most people are at 45 in the 35 zone & 50+ in the 45 zone. Once 45 begins, I'm about 1.5 miles from a left hand turn. I speed up slowly to 45 & then about a 0.8 to 1.0 miles from turn I move over as traffic allows. I move over this early because the traffic tends get faster and people are riding each others butts. Today when I moved over, the guy in the left lane agressively moved right and sped around. Condsidering that at the time we were actually at the same speed and I he was at least 20 lengths back, I thought it was unnecessary. At the turn, he ended up right in front of me with one car in front of him. We all turned with the light. The first car was quite moderate in his driving and barely reached the 30mph speed limit before he slowed down to turn. When he did, the guy you passed me was gone. About 30/40 seconds later, an office coming the other way turned on his lights and I actually got a bit in his way as I didn't know where he was going, but he ended up doing a u-turn behind me & went around me up the hill & out of sight. At the top, I got a great show....the police officer and pulled Mr. Leadfoot over & neither looked too pleased with the other.

I love a happy ending;

Few people learn to ride from competent cyclists. Many adults never re-think how they cycle, or how what they learned in Driver's Ed applies to cycling. Many just ride randomly as if they are still 8 years old. If you live in fear of traffic, or ride facing oncoming traffic, or ride very differently than you drive, this DOES apply to you. If you think that cyclists are obligated to ride in the gutter to avoid inconveniencing you, this applies to you.

Cyclists have the same rights and responsibilities as car drivers. This means riding on the right hand side of the road, using the right-most lane (or shoulder, if it is adequate --there are a few special rules) if moving more slowly than other traffic & not preparing for a left turn. Turns should be made from the same lane as would be appropriate for a car. You are allowed to (and should) take the lane if it isn't wide enough for cars to pass you safely. If any of this sounds wrong or foreign, I suggest reading www.bikexprt.com/index.htm

I absolutely agree; too many people, drivers & cyclists alike, treat bicycles as toys :( And unfortunately, the cyclists that do so by not following the traffic laws take credibility away from those of us who do :mad:

Thanks for the link above :) Back when I was a regular bicycle-commuter, I came across John Forester's book EFFECTIVE CYCLING, & it was my "bible" for riding in traffic (it's now in its 6th edition :)). Of course, now in the 21st century, he has a website, too: http://www.johnforester.com/

I love these stories. They always make me smile, but doesn't happen often enough.

... I came across John Forester's book EFFECTIVE CYCLING, & it was my "bible" for riding in traffic (it's now in its 6th edition :)). Of course, now in the 21st century, he has a website, too: http://www.johnforester.com/

Not because the autor has Oddily the same family name than me but because I know the readers on this site are in majority french speaking persons, I insist to introduce the comparable in french of the hurban cycling bible : "Deux roues, Un Avenir"

http://www.ecosociete.org/t011.php

Pierre M.

Two "special" events this weekend. Had a guy turn right from the left lane to get into a mexican restaurant. Don't think he even looked to see that I was there. Missed by only a few feet.

The other is more of a bad pedestrian story. Two women (maybe Mother/daughter) were aproaching on foot the road I was on. It was a T intersection for them. Just after I passed them (they wer maybe 3 feet from the road at that point), I saw the older woman had a flexi-lead (thats one of those dog leads where cord can feed out to let the dog walk up to about 20 feet away, but then retracts back in). Anyway, I just realized I didn't know where the dog was which made me wonder if I had nearly hit it. Then I saw the dog go running in a large arc from behind the woman, to next to the woman, and around into the street. The dog probably had 10/15 feet of line at that point & was half way into the street. The next car barely got stopped in time before hitting the dog, but I think they must have been looking for it. The ladies were both grabbing at the cord & trying to pull the dog back. Talk about a lack of attention. Here they are approaching a busy 40mph road & then don't even notice the dog has too much line & could (and did) run into the street. If it wasn't for the driver, their dog would have been hit.

Alright - here's a great one. Wow.

Driving home yesterday, doing my hypermiling thing (far right lane, letting the bumper-humpers pass me). Then it actually clears out behind me, which is surprising. There's a blue Focus about 150 feet back, and it looks almost like he's either drunk or having car trouble. He keeps swerving, speeding up (nose pitches up) and stopping hard (nose pitches down).

Well he comes to a dead stop, middle of the road, about 100 feet behind me. He's looking at the passenger seat and swinging his hand. But no one is visible in the seat - maybe he's disciplining a pet? Either way, traffic piles up behind him, and he gets a chorus of honks. Then he floors it.

Keep it mind I'm stopped at a light only 100 feet in front of him, in the same lane.

So he's racing towards me, F&F style (not watching the road) and immediately I realize he's going to hit me. So I hold my brakes down, hit my hazards, flash my reverse lights, and honk. And pray.

About 20-30 feet from the back of my car, he finally notices my show of lights and sound. He *slams* on the brakes, pitches forward, and actually skids to a stop. And he's still winging his arm into the seat next to him! Now I can finally see what he's doing - he's hitting his poor kid!?!

Light goes green and I start moving - he stays put, dishing out his boot-camp style beating. Another chorus of honks gets him to floor it again, and this time I get over to let him past. He goes flying by, and out comes my cellphone, ready to call in his tag.

He doesn't have one. :? The dealer tag is pressed into the rear windscreen, but it isn't visible. I felt so helpless.

At the next light, I was beside him. He was still yelling at his kid, so loud I could hear him with my windows up. Guy looked like a coked out K-Fed. He continued the same behavior for the next mile as I cautiously drove behind him. I even had to honk once when he didn't move at a light.

With this story, I ask you - remain vigilant, folks. There's no one out there looking out for you but yourself. :|

john, that one really makee me steam. wish there was some way you could have reported him some where........:mad:

It might be worth it to call in a description of the vehicle and location as it is happening -- even with no plates. I did that once when I was driving late at night in Fl on my way to Orlando and saw a fellow weaving back and forth across all four lanes of the highway. I didn't dare get close to him as I was pretty sure I would get hit so I called 911 and reported the make, model, and color along with speed, highway, and mile marker I was passing at the time.

They took care of it.

Hi John:

___I would have liked to report him for not only the erratic driving behavior but for beating his child over the period that you described. That really ticks me off :angry:

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I drove through a field yesterday and off a curb to get into a parking lot. :)

With winter coming up I thought it was time to give an example where 4 wheel drive leads to bad driving.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/TruckStuck.JPG

I took this photo of buffoonery at work about a year ago. The truck on the left belongs to one of my subcontractors who has 4WD. To the right is one of my company's trucks attached to the 4WD with a chain.

This sub (call him Dude) is a driller with about 15 years experience (his trailer mounted rig is just out of frame.) Dude is pretty good guy and still has all his fingers so you would figure him to be practical and safety conscious. We told Dude that he didn't want to drive across the tank pit filled with loose sand. Dude has 4WD so he thinks "you guys are wimps it'll be no problem." Dude drives across the tank pit and starts sinking. Dude thinks "No problem, I have 4WD, it'll dig me out. " Dude guns it and digs it in up to both axles. Just after I took the picture we tried pulling him out, but broke the chain. He had to get a tow truck to winch him out.

The 4WD helped him make two errors in judgement. I'm kind of a bad driver too, you can see in the foreground where I got my 2 WD pickup stuck trying to cut across a corner of the pit. I backed off before I dug in too deep. A chain hooked on another truck was enough to get me out.

Those trees are pretty.

After a relatively calm couple of weeks I encountered not one but two bad drivers on my way to work this morning.

1) An SUV driver pulled out from a residential side street onto an Avenue while accelerating so hard that he missed the turn and bounced off the far curb before over-correcting into my (the oncoming) lane, then leaning the yacht so hard in the re-correction that he began fishtailing for a ways. Why was he in such a hurry? To get out in front of the school bus - full of children - that he cut off and who had to brake hard (as evidenced by all the children leaning forward and the freaked out look on the bus driver's face) to avoid the impending collision.

2) An over-sized pickup truck outfitted as a utility vehicle would go no faster than 40 MPH on the 50 MPH Mount Rose Highway and refused to pull over into any of the slow vehicle turnouts. When we dropped down into Incline Village he took a hard right onto one of the higher elevation residential roads, not putting his signal on until he was already turning, turning from the main road lane instead of the multi-purpose lane on his right, and then steering so hard into the turn that he spun out and did a 270 right there in the junction. That road section was totally dry so I'm not sure how he pulled that one off. Judging from the look on his face when I passed by he didn't know, either.

Wow, Brian.

It seems as though drivers in your neck of the woods have a little difficulty making their turns.

I was rolling up to a light this morning on a fas in the right lane. I noticed a Corolla coming up next to me. We both got stoped. We both had about a cars lenght in front of us. The driver of the Rolla was chating away on a cell phone. I then checked my mirrors. I noticed a Envoy barreling down on the Rolla. With the sun shining thru the SUV I could see they where chatting on a cell. Bad went to worse. They were not slowing down. I fired the Mazda and went for the shoulder... hard right wheels spining... Im out of here. Sure enough the SUV blasted into the Rolla. The Rolla's rear end went up in the air and landed where I had been.

Both of the idiots held on to there phones and were still talking. The SUV driver had a air bag go off. Still on the phone.

No hope for humans....

I was rolling up to a light this morning on a fas in the right lane. I noticed a Corolla coming up next to me. We both got stoped. We both had about a cars lenght in front of us. The driver of the Rolla was chating away on a cell phone. I then checked my mirrors. I noticed a Envoy barreling down on the Rolla. With the sun shining thru the SUV I could see they where chatting on a cell. Bad went to worse. They were not slowing down. I fired the Mazda and went for the shoulder... hard right wheels spining... Im out of here. Sure enough the SUV blasted into the Rolla. The Rolla's rear end went up in the air and landed where I had been.

Both of the idiots held on to there phones and were still talking. The SUV driver had a air bag go off. Still on the phone.

No hope for humans....

Hi Psy,

Interesting Event.

Terry
BTW, I'm glad you Hit the Go-Pedal and got the Hell out of there in time: :)

I was rolling up to a light this morning on a fas in the right lane. I noticed a Corolla coming up next to me. We both got stoped. We both had about a cars lenght in front of us. The driver of the Rolla was chating away on a cell phone. I then checked my mirrors. I noticed a Envoy barreling down on the Rolla. With the sun shining thru the SUV I could see they where chatting on a cell. Bad went to worse. They were not slowing down. I fired the Mazda and went for the shoulder... hard right wheels spining... Im out of here. Sure enough the SUV blasted into the Rolla. The Rolla's rear end went up in the air and landed where I had been.

Both of the idiots held on to there phones and were still talking. The SUV driver had a air bag go off. Still on the phone.

No hope for humans....So the burning question: Did the time they saved chatting on the road save enough time and money to make up for this accident? ;)

OnStar: We registered that an accident has taken place. Do you need help?
SUV Driver: No, I didn't drop my phone.

Wow. Unbelievable - even more so by : gasp : good defensive driving habits in getting out of the way.

So a couple quick ones as I wrap up my lunch...


A couple years back my wife and I were vacationing with our kids in Tennessee traveling to visit family friends in Knoxville. We were on whatever main interstate connects Nashville to Knoxville heading east as the 4 lane divided hwy rose into the mountains. Of course, the ceiling had dropped and it got a touch foggy, enough to lower visiblity to less than a mile but still plenty to drive by.

Well, we were traveling along under the speed limit in our Chrystler T&C when a woman on her cell phone driving a late-model Cherry Red Mustang soft-top blows by us, spray whipping up behind her. I remark to my wife how some people are just plain crazy driving like that.

A few miles and minutes later traffic begins to slow as we pass a late-model Cherry Red Mustang softop upside down on the guard rail with this lady now sitting on the side of the road on her cell phone. You couldn't see the roof, the cabin was flush with the pavement. I'm not even sure how she managed to still be walking. :eek:

Second story, back a bit further.

I live in the country outside Washington, D.C. and have about 50 percent of commute on 2 lane roads. Several years ago I was on my way to high school driving the speed limit (old habits die hard) when another driver approaches me from behind. Well, this particular road is full of hills and very few passing lanes so this guy decides he doesn't want to wait and proceeds to pass me on the last 50 feet of dotted line and well UP a hill on the solid lines. We'll I slam on the breaks fearing the car that is sure to come over the top of the hill and cream us both and this guys passes right by me....just in time for the local Sheriff's deputy to see him.

The sheriff slams the breaks, throws on his lights and has the guy pulled over in no time flat. I just smile as I calmly drive by...still going to the speed limit. lol.:D

I didn't post about lastnights insanity.

Im heading south on hwy 75 in Glenpool. Im running late for the trip home. So I figure,,, No need to take my aux. route. WRONG!!! Come over a hill.... beep and Creep. Theres a **** wreck. So 45 mins later my mpg is screwed. And I cleared the wreck. All the sudden I hear cops sirens and the world started flashing red and blue. OOO God what now! Turn my head around. And what do I see? Cops chasing a fool going south in the north bound lanes of hwy 75. I hit the gas and got the hell out of the Glenpool.

people are really worthless IMHO..... God really screwed up something awful. His biggest mistake. HUMAN

Psy, what do you think of Oklahoma drivers versus US drivers in general?

I went to school north of Dallas, and just miles from the Red River. We were in Ada, Ardmore, Durant, and SE Oklahoma all the time for this and that. And to us there seemed to be more aggressiveness the farther north we got away from Dallas. Just anecdotal, of course.

Culture sometimes plays a big role in something like that. Just compare driving in Germany vs. driving in Italy.

Minor one today -- lady in an Accord or something similar
next to me on a short bit through the middle of a small town
that has two lanes in our direction. She got there by blasting
around another car behind me and screaming past ... only to
get stopped at the next light. I roll up beside her on the
right and look over ... she knows I'm staring at her, and is
already shaking her head like "I don't want to deal, I don't
want to know" ... but her whole car's body language really
warranted a response. With my window open [and hers closed,
but she could definitely hear me -- I could tell from the little
denial head movements] I'm like "Do you *really* have to blast
through the middle of town like that? ... HEY! Quit endangering
other people! LEARN something from today!"
.
Light finally goes green and she's about 2 feet from the car
ahead of her in the left lane for quite a while, but for some
odd reason doesn't dive around on the now open right one ahead
of me. I eventually get up to speed and roll by the pair of
them, she's still on this poor sucker's rear... finally after
another light said poor sucker turns off, leaving her free
to go ... but she then proceeded past me again and on up the
road much more modestly than I would have expected. So I think
she *did* learn something today.
.
_H*

On the way home yesterday I was on a four lane road with a SL of 35. The left lane turns into a turn lane. I was in the right lane and had a great glide going. I was timing the light perfectly. I had glided down to about 20 mph with the light red, but was accelerating as the light was about to turn green. The people behind me can see that the light is red, so they seem happy enough (read: not tailgating). About 3 car lengths away from the light, this commercial box van cuts in front of me (from the turn lane!) and slams on his brakes right as the light turns green. Instead of hitting the gas, he leans out of his window and starts shouting in my direction. I respond with a polite toot of my horn to let him know that the light is green. He continues yelling, so I just lay on my horn. He probably sat there listening to my horn for 15 seconds or so before he decides to go. Unfortunately, I failed to get what company he worked for.

Psy, what do you think of Oklahoma drivers versus US drivers in general?

I went to school north of Dallas, and just miles from the Red River. We were in Ada, Ardmore, Durant, and SE Oklahoma all the time for this and that. And to us there seemed to be more aggressiveness the farther north we got away from Dallas. Just anecdotal, of course.

Culture sometimes plays a big role in something like that. Just compare driving in Germany vs. driving in Italy.

Its like drivers here have done a 180 to me. Not to pick on Texas mind you. But in the past you just knew in your gut when you where being passed a certain way. It was going to be a Texan. Sure enough it was. Now days the Texans are much better behaved. Its like night and day. Its like they are glad to be out of the rock and roll of North Texas. I can see when a Northern Texan gets in to SE Ok. And SW Ar. It could get scary. While many of us love the hills, turns and general insanity. Alot of folks don't.

For me. Its like the DFW metro starts south of the Red River. I hate going down there. Got rear ended on 121 the last time I was down there. Hit and Run.

What has got bad here is the influx of people from other parts of the country. Tulsa has always had a kinship with the DFW and Houston folks. And there is a lot of travel between Tulsa and Chicago. And Oklahoma has very close ties with California. So Okies and there family's seem to run ruts in I-40, I-35 and I-44. This is normal. The huge influx has been from the North East and East Coast. Just in my little part of the world. We have a lady that moved to OKC from Maine. And one from Boston in our company now. To them the traffic isn't so bad. But to anybody around them in traffic. Its like jump the curb and get the hell away from them. They both drive Jetta's. And the pedals are to be mashed to the floor when in use. They go like crazy and wait till the last sec. to hit the brake. I wont ride with either of them. More and more of my cust. are from the East Coast. And they bring the ruddiness and bad habits with them. Okies are a kind lot so they will put up with it. Arkies on the other hand don't like there attitudes and ways of doing things and make a point to tell them so. And make no bones about it. Western Arkansas has been growing for many years and it brought a bunch of folks in from the east. It did get ugly for several years. But seems to have calmed down now. And the Yankees have got the word back to there kind. If you come to Arkansas be cool.

It just seems the whole world has got into a mad rush to go no where. I limit what I can in my life concerning this. Im acutely the most patience Ive ever been in my life now. And thats the truth. And Im not multitasking near as much as I use to. And Im going to do it less as time goes by.

Examples:
I try to hypermile.
I refuse to be a email whore. I use to think it was a good tech. But I see incomplete thoughts and data. Im not going to go through 12 emails to get a complete picture of a issue or idea. Then do that 100 times a day. I would never get anything done. With almost all the authors of these emails being college grads. They just want you to do there work for them. More times than not because they are lazy and have no idea what they are doing.
I wont txt message... See email.
I limit my cell phone useage. See email. So when I get on my phone its 90% of the time straight to the point. Ive got my head into a project out in the field working with support staff at a factory. Generally tech stuff. Wife and I have roll over. Its safe to say we loose more mins a year than we use. LMAO

People are just trying to do to much for no reason. We tend to drive like we live.

Think about it.....

Its not good. Gravey doesn't give us heart attacks. Stress does. Our running and gunning nature is not good for anything. But a elite few......

Minor one today -- lady in an Accord or something similar
next to me on a short bit through the middle of a small town
that has two lanes in our direction. She got there by blasting
around another car behind me and screaming past ... only to
get stopped at the next light. I roll up beside her on the
right and look over ... she knows I'm staring at her, and is
already shaking her head like "I don't want to deal, I don't
want to know" ... but her whole car's body language really
warranted a response. With my window open [and hers closed,
but she could definitely hear me -- I could tell from the little
denial head movements] I'm like "Do you *really* have to blast
through the middle of town like that? ... HEY! Quit endangering
other people! LEARN something from today!"
.
Light finally goes green and she's about 2 feet from the car
ahead of her in the left lane for quite a while, but for some
odd reason doesn't dive around on the now open right one ahead
of me. I eventually get up to speed and roll by the pair of
them, she's still on this poor sucker's rear... finally after
another light said poor sucker turns off, leaving her free
to go ... but she then proceeded past me again and on up the
road much more modestly than I would have expected. So I think
she *did* learn something today.
.
_H*My take on this - people drive as if nobody is in those other cars - Hobbit reminded this woman that indeed there are people inside those over cars she whips by. One of those comical ephany moments like when Wiley E Coyote realizes he is 10 feet off the edge of a cliff then starts to fall. :D

It just seems the whole world has got into a mad rush to go no where. I limit what I can in my life concerning this. Im acutely the most patience Ive ever been in my life now. And thats the truth. And Im not multitasking near as much as I use to. And Im going to do it less as time goes by.

Examples:
I try to hypermile.
I refuse to be a email whore. I use to think it was a good tech. But I see incomplete thoughts and data. Im not going to go through 12 emails to get a complete picture of a issue or idea. Then do that 100 times a day. I would never get anything done. With almost all the authors of these emails being college grads. They just want you to do there work for them. More times than not because they are lazy and have no idea what they are doing.
I wont txt message... See email.
I limit my cell phone useage. See email. So when I get on my phone its 90% of the time straight to the point. Ive got my head into a project out in the field working with support staff at a factory. Generally tech stuff. Wife and I have roll over. Its safe to say we loose more mins a year than we use. LMAO

People are just trying to do to much for no reason. We tend to drive like we live.

Think about it.....

Its not good. Gravey doesn't give us heart attacks. Stress does. Our running and gunning nature is not good for anything. But a elite few......
very good post, psy. and i totally agree with you on your last points. thanks :)

Wow -- while it's a drift away from bad drivers, well, there
are far too many people who can't drive their email readers worth
a d@mn either. I tend to bang complete, orderly, and LITERATE
essays into my email and lay it all out, leaving very little
need for any further back-and-forth until new material comes
up. People have actually had the balls to *ding* me for this,
saying "I don't read your emails because they're too long and
have too much detail". Un-b-fckin'-lieveable. And then when
they finally do respond, it's a half-answer to ONE out of several
questions/issues with the whole original thread indiscriminately
re-quoted [or ">>> right-widgeted", as I call it] below. I
finally had to drop rules into my mailserver to detect that and
reject it with "think before you respond" types of reminders.
.
Too bad I can'd do the equivalent on the roads.
.
_H*

psyshack,

No offense taken about Texas drivers - I experience it daily.

Just gets me when there are three lanes on a pre-rush hour freeway - I'm on the rightmost one and people still tailgate. One guy that fumed and peeled off after a half-mile had the 4ft tall tires.

Last quarter mile to work is thru a school zone...an Explorer impatiently passes me only to find me gliding in 200 yards later as the stop light turns green.

The people that do this say I'm the one with a problem - go figure.

I just see way to many people over loaded. Be it in the personel life or work related. This all transends into our driving. We have to go go go go!

Take me for example. I can get so burden with work or home life. My mpg suffers. Im very aware of this. Thow in the insane complexity's of the drive it's self and all the other folks dealing with a huge over burden called life. And its a wonder we all dont pull out BAR's and blast each other.

Take this morning. While I didn't see any wrecks. There was heavy fog! people where flying thur the soup like it was sunny and 75 degree's F. Man I had my headlights on. The fog lights on. Even ran with flashers on when I saw a glimps of traffic coming on up behind me. I did not want to hit or be hit by anybody. The rest didn't care. GO GO GO!

Well- I've been in Turkey since last Saturday. People have less income and the price of fuel has hit $8.00/ gallon. This has had no affect on their driving habits. Yes the cars are smaller (dinky- Turks on average are about 6" shorter than me), but I think that is more a reflection of the high initial purchase price and taxes.

Traffic markings are inconsequential. The local police are looking for potential bombers, not traffic scofflaws. And we are spoiled in the US. I have driven in every major US city and overall there is a general sense that driving is a cooperative effort. In Turkey- it is truly a competitive event. Even in the rural areas.

One story- our most recent taxi ride in Istanbul- There was much traffic (10-20 kh), and our driver took it upon himself to use the right service lane. Of course, he was "safe" about it, as he waited until several cars went by- that way he could follow them and let them plow into any stopped/broken vehicle. We were running about twice the speed of the rest of the traffic. Then we would dive back into the regular lanes. We would spend about 10 seconds in each lane, then he would move to a faster lane- there were 3 lanes plus the service lane. I would say about 30% of the automobiles were using this tactic. At one time we ducked behind an ambulancewith siren using the service lane.

As far as fuel economy- he hammered the engine between shifts. This seems to be regular driving regimen for Turkey, as all our taxi rides have been similiar (except for the service lane running).

$8/ gallon hasn't changed behaviors in Turkey, sadly don't believe that $10/ gallon will radically change behaviors in US. Hope I'm wrong. I know the culture is much different.

Hi Keith:

___Interesting to hear what the Turk’s are doing wrt driving habits and the price of fuel. I hope the unusually long commutes many in America drive will dissuade them from purchasing or even driving an in-efficient vehicle over the near term because there is no stopping the global monster called Peak Oil once its effect are in full swing. $8.00 might be cheap in 3 or 4 years in Turkey? I just hope we can still call $8.00 expensive then as well?

___Back on topic … It sounds like completely crazy driving over there???

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Crazy, beyond what I thought possible.

To be fair, their other habits are much more eco-friendly (efficient). According to my friends here the cars are used more sparingly. And the car choices are more attractive to me- many diesels, and wagons that are slightly taller, allowing seating comfortable for us 6 footers. But I'm off topic.

Keith

Three examples of the oxygen challenged today.

1) the kid next to me in the traffic jam who revved his car to 6k rpm before Dropping it into 2nd at 5mph. Learn to Drive a Stick!

2) The two pristine trucks with monster tires, lifted, winches, lights, brush guards, and not a single dent/ding/scratch/etc.. in the lot today. Face it, you never go offroad, you're posers.

3) The 'Vette driver who yanked his air cleaner for the big roaring (sucking) sound while backing out of a parking space. Um, your MPG is shot, emissions are shot, power is shot, and if you drive like that for long, your engine will be shot. You're only impressing the unwashed. Everyone else knows you're an idiot.

Remember my coworker with the Explorer 4x4 that landed it in a ditch on Mount Rose last April? (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/general/t-an-example-of-irony-04182007-4246.html)

Well, he also got a speeding ticket just one month later, in May. 65 MPH in a 50 zone as he descended into Incline Village from the summit.

He tailgated me all the way over the mountain once last month, trying to be cute, and I softly bitched him out for that and then educated him as to how to judge a minimum safe following distance.

This morning I was doing the speed limit of 55 on a slightly downhill section just before Galena Forest in the foothills of Mount Rose. This is where the highway drops from 4 lanes down to 2, with the left lane continuing on. I was in the left lane for once because an 18 wheeler was in the right lane, and I knew from experience that he'd be turning right onto a small street soon (I think his pickup point is up there somewhere).

I noticed a vehicle approaching me from behind at a speed of around 70 MPH and immediately recognized it as my coworker. Without signals he dodged to the right lane and I could hear his engine gunned as he passed me and waved, then - as the 18 wheeler hit his brakes and put on his right turn signal - he cut me off too closely as he came back into the left hand lane. I was miffed, especially since this was all totally unnecessary. He just wanted to be first going over the mountain.

As he pulled away from me doing about 75 or 80 MPH I noticed a Washoe County Deputy in a cruiser waiting to come out of the very side road the big rig was going to pull in to. She waited for me to pass, then kicked on her lights, promptly passed me and pulled over my coworker. I made sure to give him a pageant wave as I drove by.

He was cited for 75 MPH in a 55 and an improper lane change.

When he finally got to work I wondered if having so many incidents in such a short time would finally wizen this husband and Father of 3 up. But NOPE! The first words out of his mouth were "I got a ticket for passing YOU, because I HAD TO!". *sigh*

So, getting stuck in a ditch, receiving 2 speeding tickets, and being lectured by a younger coworker still hasn't woken this fellow up. I don't think anything will.

If I listed all of the idiotic things I have done as a driver in the 26 years that I have been behind the wheel, I'd have carpal tunnel syndrome. The most persistent idiot I encounter stares at me each morning.

On my way home yesterday I noticed a rental SUV coming out of the ski area's main parking lot at a higher rate of speed than is safe in icy conditions. He wasn't going fast enough to threaten me so I didn't pay any more attention to him.

A second or two later I glanced in my rear view mirror and saw him sliding out onto the road just as the SUV behind me was approaching that place.

BOOM

The guy behind me t-boned him at about 35 MPH and pushed him downhill for at least 100 feet before they came to a stop after plowing into a large snowbank.

Bad hummer driver ran me into the sholder, lucky for me there was plenty of room. Lucky for him I was at the end of the tank and didn't want to risk my numbers, or I would have floored it and stopped him 1 way or another.

@kngkeith

Your description is something I remember vividly from my trip to turkey over 10 years ago, even the busses drove this way. I don't remember much about roadside bomb worries back then. The other main thing I remember is everywhere that we went they offered apple tea.

Bad hummer driver ran me into the sholder, lucky for me there was plenty of room. Lucky for him I was at the end of the tank and didn't want to risk my numbers, or I would have floored it and stopped him 1 way or another.Maybe this will make you feel better browsing a site of community-oriented drivers (http://www.hummer.com/hummerjsp/home.jsp?goto_page=/world/hummer_helps.swf&goto_nav=world&seo=goo_hummer_helps_general). (trying to keep a straight face)

Maybe this will make you feel better browsing a site of community-oriented drivers (http://www.hummer.com/hummerjsp/home.jsp?goto_page=/world/hummer_helps.swf&goto_nav=world&seo=goo_hummer_helps_general). (trying to keep a straight face)

Oof, darn you delta flyer, I made it only two paragraphs into the first Owner Story before I started to retch.

Maybe this is the birth of a new sport?: "Off-reading"? Something like, "Man, that first sentence hung me up so bad I had to get winched past the period. Then I got stuck in the verbiage of the second paragraph, and rockin' her back and forth to get to the next indent set my stomach roiling."

I apologize for any spilled coffee and other similar reactions to reading such stories like "Hummer of Hope"....for every one of those, there are several thugs.

So much spin i'm getting dizzy.

I apologize for any spilled coffee and other similar reactions to reading such stories like "Hummer of Hope"....for every one of those, there are several thugs.


So our crack team of Hummer drivers had finally reached the stranded Boy Scouts and were preparing to get them rides out when...

WE RAN OUT OF GAS. :(:(:(:(:(

So our crack team of Hummer drivers had finally reached the stranded Boy Scouts and were preparing to get them rides out when...

WE RAN OUT OF GAS. :(:(:(:(:(

LMAO :thumbs_up: :D

Lightfoot, why doesn't that web site give gas mileage estimates?

I was on my way to services Sunday morning. The road is clear front and rear. I fas down a hill in a 50 zone, and as I climb up the other side, I bump it and cruize right into the 40 MPH zone. Life is good.

But then I see a black Murano coming up fast. I keep to 40, and he comes up close, then sees that I'm not intimidated by his girth. So, he drops back and accelerates back up to my bumper, but still I don't blink.

Poor guy, because now we are fasing down another hill, and smoothly bumping the engine as we climb a small incline to a 35 MPH zone. He's back on the bumper but backs off quickly.

The traffic light changes to green as I approach my right hand turn, and with my turn signal, I enter the cross road. At this point, there are two lanes for a very short distance, so I stay to the right and gesture the Murano to come around, and as he blows by, I see it is a fellow from my church, that is in a wheelchair. Wow, everyone is so impatient.

Well, after he passes, and the lanes neck back to one, I come back over. But, there's a lady in an Accord who has gunned it to get around too. Woops, not enough room, so she hits the brakes and comes in behind me. She comes right up on my tail, and stays there until we get to a passing zone in a 55 MPH zone. She flys by.

A mile up the road, I come up behind her at a traffic light. The Murano is just in front of her. I timed the light so I didn't have to come to a complete stop. I followed them both to the church parking lot. Sermon "Are you humble enough." Priceless.

I have one section of my commute home that people fly by me to get to a red light. Unfortunately, it's only one lane, so I can't pass them as the light turns green. Sometimes I get to politely honk my horn if they're not paying attention. :)

I'm usually a calm guy, who's hard to get agitated. But I have a few triggers, one of which is bad drivers.

I'd swear it on my life, my mother's life, and my early retirement fund that Ohio drivers are the worst anywhere, bar none. :mad: Nine out of 10 think they are kings of the road, and the other 1 out of 10 are deliberately out there to make your commute into a dangerous one. Just today, I'm minding my own business in a FAS down my street (it's almost entirely downhill to my house) and I'm behind a Camry with Ohio plates on it. The Camry slows with a left turn signal on, so I move to the right side and begin closing, not hitting the brakes because I don't want to lose power brake's. So they, with left turn signals on, make a right turn, cutting me off. I jack the brakes and miss by six inches at most, and I lay into the horn. I only live about 5 houses further down, so when I finally get there, this 75 year old guy has the balls to come up to me and be like "What'd you honk at us for..." so I laid into him good, talking about how he'd cut my ass off with the wrong signals on...

I used to gripe about how "old people drive slow". Of course, that gripe has been irrelevant ever since I started going 54 in a 65 (and where people regularly do 80+), but they still have no perception or common sense whatsoever...

I can't even properly recall the countless times cars with Ohio plates cut me off, hump the bumper, refuse to let me merge onto highways (they will speed up as I do, and then brake as I do so I'm forced over into the shoulder...)

I wish Toyota didn't make such wimpy horns...

A mile up the road, I come up behind her at a traffic light. The Murano is just in front of her. I timed the light so I didn't have to come to a complete stop.

i do the same thing! not long ago i had a woman riding my azz big time because i wasn't racing up to the stop lights. she was gesturing and positively livid. i've even had grandmothers with their grandchildren riding shotgun, shout curses over the kid at me for the same....

most people just use religion as a "just in case" back-up plan to avoid Hell. the prob with christianity is that despite your misdeeds on earth you can still get to heaven. that may explain the devilish behavior of so many faithful.

tab,

I'll try to tread lightly on religion, but the people that think they can live like Hell, show up for worship, revert to what they were doing unchanged are as clueless about Christanity as some of these people we put up on the roads know about driving. As you alude to, other faiths/philosophies also have bad apples that are also just pretending....

The human condition has a bunch of people faking decency/piety.

I wish Toyota didn't make such wimpy horns...
Take a look at the Hella HL85115's. They're very potent and around $60.

Not so much bad drivers, but just impatient: On a popular route out from my house, there is a stop sign and then a set of traffic lights about 100 yards up from the stop sign. It is a long red light, so if the lights turn red while I'm at the stop sign, I will get up to about 15 mph and then coast. Doing that seems to enrage anybody who is behind me so they change lanes, whip around me, and then move back to my lane. Meanwhile, I slowly coast up on them while they're waiting for the light to turn green. I hope beating me to the red light was worth their gas and effort.

@seftonm

I do this with a lot of lights on my commute a large number of them seem to be in pairs, and totally sensor based, i'm sure it drives some people nuts. But they drive me just as crazy when they pull in front of me, eat up my space and jump on the brakes.

"For all have sinned....." I tell you, since I found this site, I've gotten a whole lot more mello on the road. While I don't like nasty driving and never will, I'm less likely to boil. I let it go more easily.

I think this is a result of the peace that comes with not competing for the lead, but competing against myself for better mileage. Responding to nasty drivers usually involves something that kills my numbers, and now I'm loath to do that.

I think that as more people find this site, we will see a change in a lot of drivers. There will always be those who actually need a larger vehicle. And there will always be those who are totally self absorbed and clueless. We share the road with them, or rather they let us use their road. Gotta love 'em.

Muranos make you look fat.
.
http://www.samharris.org/
.
_H*

Last night heading home, I came to a stop at a T intersection. Its a little strange, in that the cars from the right have no stop, but the cars from the left do. Anyway a guy on the left stopped first. He got blocked by traffic from the right and I could have gone ahead and turned right, but I didn't realize right away the traffic was going to block him.

Anyway, there was blue musty-tang behind me who felt I should be going and honked at me. I hate people who think horns are for anything but emergencies. I let the truck go first, I turned, and the car turned behind me (without stopping). Speed limit is 45, but with musty having ticked me off by beeping and now tailgaiting, 35 was feeling a lot safer (actually it was snowing, so a little prudence would be advicable). Anyway, the guy get all ticked off, and after 2/3 miles of driving, as we approach a stop sign, he finally passes. I give him the finger. He half cuts me off and then slows down to 15, waves at me, and then gives me the finger. I'm thinking, I could do 15 all the way home and gave a lot more gas. We stop at a busy 4-way stop, and he clearly lets an extra set of people go through before proceeding. Now I'm really laughing. I'm in no hurry; My engine isn't burning any gas, but his is. Anyway he goes straight (almost gets hit by someone who didn't realize he wasn't still giving free passes), I turn. I pickup some dinner & my wife and I enjoy the evening. I doubt he will ever read this, but if you are...thanks for the laugh.

Tonight on my way home from NJ, I was getting my best tank so far (Wayne, that ScanGauge is so neat). I pulled off of I-95 and tried Rt. 40, through Northeast MD, but with the hills and lights, I just wasn't able to do any better, even though I could pulse and glide between 50 and 40.

So, I'm working real hard by the time I get to the Balto. Beltway, but decide with the traffic I should just speed up to 55 and keep right. Although there are three lanes, some foolish person left the middle lane and came right up behind me. Woops, there comes the high beam flash. So, I tap the brakes but keep my speed at 55. Woops, now comes a double high beam flash. Sooooo, I glide to 50 MPH. Another double flash, I glide to 45 MPH. All this time, there is no one in the outer two lanes. I'm prepared to glide to 40, but finally this crazy person decides to pass. I don't make eye contact (it's too dark). At least they used their turn signal when pulling back in ahead of me. A mile later, they exit.

By the way, I did a FAS to a stop red light, and then realized I had a cop right behind me. When the light changed to green, he followed me through a right hand turn at the next light, but didn't stop me. Later, I was FASing down a hill. When I turn the motor off, my headlights go out, when I return the key to the Accessory position, they come back on, just in time to see two cops off the shoulder. I had just FASed through a speed trap. I'm surprized they didn't come after me for coasting and flashing my lights off and on. Still got my best tank so far.

Time for an injector kill-switch...
.
_H*

yeah I quit shutting the engine off at night, because my lights slowly dim to nothingness.

There is a site, www.platewire.com, dedicated to giving people who were wronged on the road an oportunity to tell what happened and associate it with a particular licence plate. I'm starting to put my gripes there, and I'm watching to see if anyone moans about my slow (read legal) driving speeds.

Today its half way through a 6-12 inch snow storm. Almost everyone driving normally, except...
Jerk in a Chevy truck who is blowing past people in the very dirty right lane. The road merged down to one lane, and I and the car behind me were already past the merge point & this guy flew around us anyway. At this point, he had to slam on brakes to keep from hitting the guy in front of me (about 4/6 seconds ahead at 40mph); He spend the next few miles tailgating as a distance of 1/2 to 1 car length at speeds up to 45mph.

There is a site, www.platewire.com, dedicated to giving people who were wronged on the road an oportunity to tell what happened and associate it with a particular licence plate.

Jonathan, That is a great site! Nothing like venting to get it out of your system. We have a city department that allows us to report litterers by license plate number and I've always wanted one for reporting the people that swerve across three lanes to make a turn, etc. So this will be perfect.

And making sure no one is reporting me would be nice too.

Thanks,

That chump who hit Jesse & his 350k mile Prius. :(

The snow moved in earlier than expected, still, it's *light* snow. At this stage of the morning slight accumulation at the lane markers. The pretty visualize turbulence snow dancing across the surface.

Getting on to I495 north (the cloverleaf had not been salted, 25MPH maximum prudent speed) coming to the zipper merge and accelerate to just under 50 MPH behind a heavy, nobody in the right lane behind me.

Heavy and I stay in right lane, I'm 6 seconds behind dropping back to 8 seconds to allow for the next zipper from 2E to I495N. But only three cars get in front of the heavy.

Far left lane traffic is at 75 MPH, but nearly empty. As happens so often in these conditions, the middle lane is NASCAR'ed up, 65 MPH, .5 second following distances. The heavy and I are at 52 MPH.

Coming up the second hill, there's an SUV parked in the breakdown lane, facing traffic. Seeing the odd sight, somebody in the pack lifts, person behind them lifts, minivan lifts and taps brake. Excursion nearly taps the minivan, attempts the emergency lane change to the right lane while simultaneously hard braking. Bad. Very bad. Breaks it free, wiggle left, wiggle right, bigger wiggle left, and now 180 in the right lane! Just what I want 4 seconds in front of me this morning, a backwards Excursion. Plan B is blocked (line of NASCAR cars in the middle lane) Plan C is blocked (backwards parked SUV in breakdown lane, though I still have time to do a meadow run if need be.) So far, the Excursion has not *hit* anything and the NASCAR crowd is not getting more stupid. Excursion slides off the road backwards, SOLO, mercifully, well before the parked SUV. Up on two wheels backwards down the bank, just kisses the trees at 15 MPH but does *not* tip.

Two people in front pull off the road beyond the backwards parked SUV.


Bottom line. Left lane traffic was too fast for conditions. Middle lane traffic was borderline too fast for conditions, but traffic following distances were INSANE. Sub 1 second is idiotic, 1 second is stupid in GOOD conditions. .5 second following distances this morning could have easily led to a multicar.


-mr. bill

I'm very glad you were not injured in that, Bill! I'm also glad that no one else seems to have been hurt, but man -- that stuff sounds really bad. :(

Maybe some of them will learn a lesson from that. Although I doubt it.

Last night, going out to White Castle in Cold Spring... I took 71/75 across Cincinnati to go up 471, because it's safer to do 50mph there without getting murdered by inattentive drivers. Well, maybe the route's worse instead. NICE-On'd down the cut in the hill (way too dangerous to FAS) got across the bridge fine, went right down onto Fort Washington Way, doing a solid 48mph while nice-on coasting. It merges with two lanes on the left, so I'm in lane three out of four. ****-brown Cavalier is in lane one, some 20-something lady yakking away at the phone. I move into lane two precisely as lady on phone does, she does so without signaling, and is gaining fast. She comes within three inches of my bumper and rides it for the next quarter mile or so (I'm doing my solid 47-50mph the whole way). She swerves to the outside, guns it, then keeps going, still gabbling away. Then here comes a hemi ram and a Budget truck, both are really hauling ass and sucking gas, in lanes three and four.

What happens next is predictable. Idiot on phone almost misses her ramp because she's too busy yakking on the phone and having to gun it past me, so she cuts across three lanes doing 60+ to go to 71 North within a car length of the safety railing, the hemi ram swerves to avoid, cutting in front of the Budget truck, who jacks the brakes and almost takes out the whole freeway. It's a miracle it didn't cause a pile-up, or at least a really bad wreck. I swear, I don't know how there's not mangled vehicles littering the sides of all Ohio roads... :eek:

Way to keep your eyes on the road, Mr. Bill. Glad you weren't involved! ;)

OK, it's dusk, it's raining, and it's time to pick on a Silver Prius and a Silver HyHi.

PUT ON YOUR LIGHTS! What part of see and be seen do you *not* understand?

Thank you.

-mr. bill

There's a spot on the UW campus near the building where I work where there's a stop sign, and within 100 feet there's a stop light. I see countless people punch it from there, but there was one really noteworthy idiot recently on this stretch of road.

As some of you may be aware, there's been a lot of snow, and not all of it gets plowed in a timely fashion. Also, as many people know, accelerating in snow is something to be done *slowly* and *smoothly*, or else you spin your tires. One particularly bright person in a van accelerated too quickly and spun their tires, all the way from the stop sign to the stop light. Their tires were spinning at probably 30 MPH, they were going maybe 5 MPH. See, most people, when they spin their tires, ease off a bit and accelerate slowly until they grip the road....not this person. Wacky fun.

Here's the kicker, this car had Wisconsin plates, so the driver had a 99.5% chance of having experienced this before. F***ing idiot.

Off-topic just a bit, one of the things I like about hypermiling is that I don't have to change much for winter driving (just no death turns...they become far more literal in the winter). Most people...not so much.

how about this, on my way to go see my fiance on her birthday, well it was about 11:15pm, and i had just gotten out of work at 11. about 7 miles into the trip, I noticed a cobalt in my rearview tailgating like it's do or die. we were just coming from a four laned road and he didnt pass me there going btw 55 and 60 speed limit at 55. we were merging onto a two laned road and i floored it (bad for FE up to 70) then eased off and went back down to 60 and this driver after seeing me slow back down was on me again, so i decided i was not going to play his game and kept going, w/in a few moments there we passed a cop car sitting, i started laughing to myself cuz i knew someone was gonna get pulled over.....after passing the cop, the driver backed off a little bit, w/in a few seconds the cop was behind us (no flashing lights) and i was back down to 55 by this time, the driver in the cobalt pulled to the side and the cop crept up to w/in a few feet of my rear, i took the next exit as i started to get a bit worried and before you know it..flashing lights....apparently the guy tailgating was not as bad as my wheel going "over the median" as told by the police was the reason for pulling me over.....

Had a great experience this morning.

Merging onto I-20 at the speed limit of 65 mph, a driver in the far right lane decided not to let me merge. So I proceeded to cruise on the shoulder for a few hundred feet honking @ the driver. Then I did something I rarely do and sped up to them in the left lane next to them and starred at whoever this crazy fool was. She happened to just keep crusing along with both hands on the wheel like she had done nothing wrong. This continued for about a mile and then I laughed when she wasn't paying attention and had slam on her brakes for the semi going the speed limit in the far right lane.

I happened to keep on crusing my merry way at 60-65 or so :)

Two things of interest this month.

1) To lead off with it's worth noting that Texas has one of the highest percentage of uninsured unlicensed drivers in the US. One study puts it at 30%, but I think it's probably closer to 10% or hopefully less. Suffice to say there are tons of unlicensed drivers in TX. Now normally tractor-trailer drivers are some of the safest on the road, but every now and then you find a semi driver who's part of that magical 10%. Well on a foggy misty morning last week I found one. There is a spot on my commute (specifically turn 12 and 13) (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showpost.php?p=43538&postcount=14). So anyway I got caught at the light before turn twelve and ended up at the front of the line. A presumably unlicensed semi driver behind me. Since I know the timing, when the light turns green after the wait at red, I crawl to turn 12 at about 15-20 mph. The light goes green about 10 feet out (perfect). Well apparently those 25 yds at 20 MPH was more than this guy could take, so as soon as we clear turn 12 he guns it (well as much as a semi can). Well since turn 13 is banked and its light is timed for faster traffic, I can take it kinda fast and I usually pulse up to 35 MPH. It never dawned on me that a semi would try to over take, so I didn't know till he passes me doing 40 with his blinker on signaling his intent to cut me off. Well as soon as I see this I break pretty hard to give him lots of room reducing my speed to about 20 MPH.

Now a few things I know about the stretch of road from turn 12 to 13 that apparently he did not. a) Distance from turn 12 - 13 is only about 40 yrds. b) The gradient is down hill the whole way. c) The road changes from concrete to (slick) asphalt about 20 yrds from turn 13. d) It had rained earlier that night and turn 13 is in the shade so it takes hours to dry out.

Back to the story. I've slowed to 20 MPH, he's cruising at 40 MPH with intent on overtaking me and then proceeding in a big-rig to make the right at turn 13. At this point in time we are about 20yrds from turn 13. So the rig driver, seeing me breaking, starts to break, while changing lanes and preparing his rig for a high speed right turn on wet roads going downhill, fully loaded, on asphalt. Well you guessed it... JACK-KNIFE!. At least half ways. He hadn't completed his lane change when he started braking, so the rig started to swing out, went over the double yellow and was hanging out in the opposing lane. Realizing his mistake he started to correct and kept things from going totally sh*tty. So he brings the rig to a rest with the trailer in the apposing lane (about a 15 deg angle from the cab) and the cab sitting in the middle of the intersection. The amazing thing was there was no traffic for him to hit, and he managed to leave the right hand turning lane wide open for me to complete my turn.

A few days later we have bad-driver #2.

2) On the way home there is a section construction is heavy and there are some blind spots as you approach the intersection. Anyway I gonna take a right turn here and there is a truck on the shoulder. Well as I approach I see a lady in a bronco approaching the intersection from the right side cross-traffic. I assume she can see me. I'm taking a right (blinker has been on for 1/8 of a mile). Since I scoped her out when I approached the intersection and noted no turn signal, I assumed she was going strait. Well she decided to take a left and decided that since she couldn't see around the truck, there must not be anybody around. So when she takes the left she lets her bronco bank the corner and come clip through a few feet of on-coming lanes. So as she disappears from my view I expect her to show up crossing the intersection in a few seconds. Instead I get a great view of her grill as she takes her left and proceeds for 5 feet in my lane facing me. Well I certainly didn't expect that and was in a pickle.

Lady in bronco clipping the turn is in my lane accelerating fast. I'm still approaching the intersection. I'm going too slow to gun it into the on coming lane to get around her right side. I can't take the shoulder since there is a truck there on her left side, and I can't stop since we are about to be head-on if I do. So given the choices I floored it and made for the shoulder (and parked truck). I figured if it goes head on to the left of the center I (driver side front end) would get the brunt of the impact. Hood, engine and left quarter panel would be toast as well as front axle and left front tire. On the other hand if I floor it and side swipe the parked truck, she may only give my left panel a glancing blow, saving the axle and engine compartment and heavy repairs. Either way my insurance is toast. So I make ready for impact (bronco on my left, parked truck on the right) and at that exact moment, she looks up from her cell phone and goes all saucer eyed :eek:. Luckily she decided to swerve right (her right) hard, leaving my lane clear. Bad news is I've floored it with the intent of slamming into the parked truck. So I figure what the h*ll and swerve back off the shoulder into my lane (and towards saucer eyed lady :eek:).

It worked. I missed the bronco by inches and the parked truck by millimeters and still managed to make my right turn. Got so hopped up on adrenaline I had to actually walk around my car to make sure I didn't hit something and not know it. Waited a bit for saucer eyed lady (:eek:), but she was hauling a55 the other way.

sometimes it's just not worth getting out of bed

11011011

WOW....the amount of idiots I hvent met....I hope I never do.

Havn't posted one here for a while, but I really got ticked off by a tailgater this morning. In Illinois heading east on 120 about 1/2 miles from I-94 (where there is constuction going on). I get some jerk in a black truck litterally about 1/2 car length at 50/55 mph. I'm actually a little closer to the vehicle in front of me than I like (about 1.5 seconds), and I'm starting to slow down a little to back off. The guy behind me start thowing up his hands in frustration. There is a passenger van on my right side that finally starts to move forward of me, as soon at the truck sees this he jerks right, rides the vans butt, and then once past me (barely), he jerks back left and then proceeds to ride the vehicle in front of me at the same distance (1/2 car length).

Now before I continue, let me explain a few things; The constuction on 120 means than the right lane is forced to enter I-94 south. The left lane is forced to go straight. Because of this, most cars are in the appropriate lanes almost 2 miles before the actual intersections. Traffic weaving isn't normally possible due to the amount of traffic & the unpredicable changes in lane speed. So it really was OK for me, a speed limit guy, to sit in the left lane for 2 miles...especially when I'm actually able to keep up with traffic.

OK, end of story...
When the guy pulls back in front of me, I see his plate, Illinois 2316 "Firefighters Memorial". This really *#&& me off, as most of these plates belong to firefighters or their families. Usually I see these plates on trucks/SUVs which may speed a bit, but normally are very courtliest, aware, and safe. So seeing one of these plates on some guy who acts more like he trying to drum up business for firefighters than memorialize them really burns my toast.

If anyone knows who this jerk is, especially if he is a firefighter, please let him know that someone is really wishing him bad karma for his stupid driving. If he wants to drive like that, get the **** plate off. I think most firefighters would find someone why risks lives like that very insulting to their name.

Thank you for letting me vent.

I-76 East today, coming down from the Allegheny Mountain tunnel... mind you, this is a downhill that's got to be 10 miles long, so I pop it into neutral and start saving gas, picking up speed the whole way. Doing all right until traffic inexplicably backs up and then slows to a total beep and creep for about an hour. When I finally get through the mess, I find a truck on its side, loaded with about a dozen brand new Corvette's. All of which are smashed by now. :eek:

People don't understand the concept of right of way.

When the idiot's coming out of a parking lot making a left, I have the right of way since I'm on the road already....idiot just jumps out and then stomps on the brakes as she finally sees my car, horn blaring...so she's sitting there like a deer in the headlights. Way to ruin my Fas :mad:

And then the roundabout...cars already in have the right away...moron with Louisiana plates and a Fsp Chevy Silverado just blasts through there....

(These were within 200 yards and 30 seconds of each other)

I had a good one a couple of weeks ago -- witnessed a hit-n-run,
and have since written it up (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/pix/fj-hr/) so the insurance company for the
victim can get all the facts. I wonder if I'll ever find
out WTF was up with the at-fault driver.
.
[If nameservice for techno-fandom is still screwed up,
substitute 216.235.242.8 for it.]
.
_H*

Yikes!! That is frightening. :(

Hi All,

Be careful out there. A week or so ago, On the tollway portion of my commute I noticed traffic becoming Tricotimous (is this the right word?). There are three groups out there. About equal number of people are driving below 60 and from 60 to 70, where previously the group below 60 was only about 1/4 th of drivers. This is apparently due to gas prices - same thing happened when gas spiked in the past. As this has happened, a third group of drivers has become apparent, these are the "speed at all costs group". They are weaving and tailgating, and doing excessive rates of speed (well beyond what would be needed for catchup - like 90+ mph) in areas where voids in traffic occur. This third group is about 10 % of the drivers on the road.

As weather got warmer, traffic began to fall into the summer pattern, which has lots areas of slow-and-go near intersections and exit ramps. Which puts all the drivers in the slow group. About half of the wreckless group has continued to be wreckless however.

As an apparent response, the Illinois State Police have been very active starting about 3 weeks ago, and continuing - which is causing gaper delays. One really interesting gaper incident was two patrol cars had pulled over a monster truck. Yea, litterally, a Monster Truck like one would see in a auditorium jumping over ramps and scrap cars. And it was Yellow to boot. Kinda hard to miss. These vehicles are not legal on surface streets, let alone an interstate highway.

how about this morning, with snow and the roads are glazed and icy. i am going about 35 on a twisty 2 lane mostly country road. and i got passed......by a school bus!

how about this morning, with snow and the roads are glazed and icy. i am going about 35 on a twisty 2 lane mostly country road. and i got passed......by a school bus!

I'd call the school board and let them know.

Yesterday I was passed by a semi that used the merge area of on onramp. As he came up behind me in the right lane, I popped on the hazard flashers while he was still some way back. He must not have been paying attention, so he missed his chance to slide over into the left lane. At that point we came to an onramp, so he moved over to my right and passed me in the merge area, using a little bit of the shoulder after the merge lane ended.

He was a container hauler, which I guess is on the low end of the trucking food chain skill-wise?

Have had cars do this once or twice but never a semi.

No particular danger to me so I just figured oh well and kept on with my mpg efforts. Still. something to watch out for.

Hi All,

..... About half of the wreckless group has continued to be wreckless however.

....

Though where I live it seems like less than half of the reckless group has continued to be wreckless.

Ducks rotten fruit :p

Today while driving in to work I got tailgated by an AMBULANCE!!! It was raining moderately heavily too. He didn't have his flashing lights going, and I was doing 42-44mph in a 40mph zone. Three lanes each way so he could have passed me. Gave him the hazard flashers, no effect. An American Medical Response ambulance, so I'm giving them a call to recommend a bit of driver training for this idiot.

Well I have one for the ages...this stupid driver pulled out into my lane, cutting me off, even though it’s quite obvious that I'm about to pass them and the vehicle in front of them. Then, they slowly (and I do mean slowly) pass the vehicle they were behind a moment ago. And they can make that experience last up to five mintes as they inch past the vehicle, forcing you to slow to their speed and preventing you from getting around them and the other vehicle. If they had just waited ten more seconds, you would have been able to blow right by them and then they could perform their slow motion passing maneuver without inconveniencing you. :mad:





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[QUOTE=MJ Phillip;84935]Well I have one for the ages...this stupid driver pulled out into my lane, cutting me off, even though it’s quite obvious that I'm about to pass them and the vehicle in front of them. Then, they slowly (and I do mean slowly) pass the vehicle they were behind a moment ago. And they can make that experience last up to five mintes as they inch past the vehicle, forcing you to slow to their speed and preventing you from getting around them and the other vehicle. If they had just waited ten more seconds, you would have been able to blow right by them and then they could perform their slow motion passing maneuver without inconveniencing you. :mad:

Um... Are you on the right site? Very few hypermilers would complain about going slow, let alone having to wait to "blow right by" somebody.

First rule of hypermiling- go SLOW for FE.:)

A couple days ago I had three vehicles pass me on the right within 3 minutes. Normally I wouldn't care about this, but all three were illegal! The first two happened when I was slowing for a red light. This section of road has one left turn lane and one through lane (but it's a wide lane). In VA, we're allowed to pass on the right if the vehicle in front of you is turning left. I was not in the turn lane. Not only did these two cars illegally pass me, they passed the two cars in front of me as well. :mad: Am I going to have to start driving in the center of the double-wide lane?

Not but a couple minutes later, I was merging onto the highway and the Jeep Wrangler behind me passes me on the right shoulder. He apparently did not know how to merge onto the highway, change lanes, and pass me. :mad:

Sometimes I just want to follow these people to wherever they're going and treat them like they treated me on the road. :mad:

[calming down ... 1 ... 2 ... 3 ... 4 ... 5 ... 6 ... 7 ... 8 ... 9 ... 10 ... deep breath]

OK, I wouldn't actually do that. But given the chance, I don't know that I could turn it down. ;)

I was sitting at a stop light last night and this Jeep pulls way past the line. (Sorry for the lights in the side view mirror.)
http://i92.photobucket.com/albums/l23/Skwyre7/Pictures/PIC-0136.jpg

You can see the white "Stop here" line. The Jeep was a good three car-lengths past it. It even crept up while waiting for the green light!

Note: The "Stop here" line in my lane was further up so people could turn right on red.

Hi Michael:

___I took some liberty with your experience and incorporated it into a slightly different format … Let me know if the following is acceptable.

What were they thinking? - April 16, 2007 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10123)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

US 25 (Dixie Highway) in Fort Mitchell going south...from 71/75 exit. I've just exited and made a left, so I'm going from a stop, and I'm going pretty slowly (~25) in a 35. But there's two lanes, so I figure anyone else can go around. Sorry, no picture--I didn't think of it until I was long gone.

Apparently not... a blue hemi ram appears in the rear view mirror, hauling ass, and he drives right up to my bumper and all I see is his grille. The light ahead is red, so I start coasting to the light, and the guy responds by staying on my butt. I wanted to brake check him...but hey, that's gas. Eventually he got the idea, cut around, V8 engine roaring, cut back, blazed through the (still red) light, around the corner...and into the Sunoco.

Go figure. :p

In happier news though, I haven't seen many semi's going that fast anymore. Most of them are doing ~55-60 now, instead of the usual 80. The occasional box truck still blasts by, but even those guys aren't doing much more than 70. Gas prices are actually getting these guys thinking... :)

Hi Michael:

___I took some liberty with your experience and incorporated it into a slightly different format … Let me know if the following is acceptable.

What were they thinking? - April 16, 2007 (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10123)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

I noticed. Knucklehead works for me. ;)

Skwyre7, I followed a car almost all the way through Connecticut once. I was on a motorcycle, and was northbound in the right lane of two northbound lanes. As we approached the point where these two lanes merge into a single northbound lane, idiot breath comes roaring up on the outside. He continues to pass me as the lane ends, and because of oncoming traffic, he cuts over fairly hard. I'm a defensive driver (especially when on my motorcycle) and figured this nut was nuts, so I anticipated his cut.

I was positively steamed, so I followed him. He knew it too, but there was no way he could top the speed and agility of my cycle. Finally, he pulled into a shopping center (yes, so there would be witnesses). He stopped in a parking space, and I pulled up to the space next to the driver's side door. I put down my kick stand, and was getting off and unbuckling my helmet, when he rolled down his window a crack and said "are you following me?" I said of course, because you cut me off and could have killed a motorcyclist with your crummy stunt. He said he was sorry but that he didn't even know what I was talking about, but sorry all the same if he had done wrong.

Now, I've cooled down a bit, wonder why I followed this wimp anyway, and put my helmet back on, get on the bike and head back home (about 20 miles back). What a waste. I didn't even kick his car door or spit on his window.

Moral of the story, don't waste your time and gas. Idiots are idiots, don't join them, their town position is already occupied. Besides, you knew they were an idiot when they started with you. You didn't need any more proof. Chill.

...Chill.

I wouldn't actually follow someone. It would be a waste of gas, and I would be late to pick up my son from the baby sitter. It was more of a what-if-I-... moments. Now if they were to pull into the same parking lot that I was going into as well, I would probably have to remind them of their idiot status, politely of course. ;)

I just about got killed by a trucker on 71/75 just before getting on the bridge... I'm in the middle lane, doing 75 in a Fas (a long hill), and I slow down and get to the right as the road levels out. Some time later a trucker comes up, hauling ass with two huge 50,000lb rolls of steel on the back, and he doesn't slow down. He just jerks over to the left, and then then back into my lane when only half his trailer's passed me. I lay into the horn and give him the driver's salute, but apparently I need a better horn. Toyota's horns are too wimpy.

I think it's funny though because coming back the other way an hour later, I found the same truck broken down on the side of the road. :D

This one is from last week. I've been slacking. :p

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/04-10-08_0904.jpg

Here we see a lifted truck in day-glow yellow crossing the center line on a blind turn. Over the next mile he crossed the center line 3 more times, once causing an oncoming car to swerve to its right. He then sped through an Elementary School zone with flashing lights, a sign post in the center of the road and a crossing guard waving at him... at least 25 in a 15.

For once I was headed into the shopping center just past the school, and so was he. Once in the busy lot where do you think he parked? That's right: across two spaces.

This one is from today. While I have no problem approaching strangers I usually avoid confrontations, but I couldn't help myself on this one. I arrived in the mostly empty parking lot of a Target store early this morning. While walking through the lot I spotted something that made my jaw drop. A lifted Suburban parked in a COMPACT spot. It was so big it spilled over and the right side of the vehicle was over a foot onto the curbing.

As I neared it the owner, his wife and their 2 children approached the truck and started getting in. The owner was right next to me as I passed and I couldn't help but say to him, "Do you understand what "compact" means, man?". He replied, "Yeah, but I don't give a f***. I park where I want.".

This stopped me cold. That whole attitude just reeks of selfishness and he is behaving and speaking this way right in front of his children.

Rather than argue with him I simply backed away, took out my cell phone and prepared to take a shot. When he asked me why I wanted a picture I told him that maybe I'd send it to the RPD (Reno Police), or just post it on the Internet and make him famous for all the wrong reasons. For some reason he took this as a challenge and actually posed for the shot:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/04-19-08_0932.jpg


While he taunted me for my reusable bag and whatnot I just walked off. As I approached the store entrance I totally lucked out in that a security guard was coming out. I approached him and showed him the picture I just took, and it was a good thing I had done so as the truck had already backed out and was headed in our direction.

The security guard thanked me and headed right for the truck, flagging him down. I was too far away to hear the conversation but the guard was obviously not pleased with the way it was going as he took down their license plate number (both license plates were covered with those illegal tinted and hard-to-focus things that are supposed to fool red light and speed cameras (I guess he doesn't know that the 6 intersections in our town that have such devices aren't functional). Here they are getting scolded:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/04-19-08_0935.jpg


For the most part I watched from within the store so as to not provoke the guy any further, but once the guard was done and they were headed off I went back outside to make sure they didn't mess with my car or anything (I'm not sure if they knew which was mine, but better safe than sorry). As they passed in front of the store I waved and smiled to them. The wife replied with just a middle finger.

Those poor children, having to grow up under the guidance of such mentally challenged parents. Both parents showed their propensity toward the vulgar. And what a great teaching for the children, to see the "proper" reaction for getting caught doing something wrong. It's a shame. Congrats for keeping on task and taking out your camera phone. Perhaps they will think a little before they do this again. Isn't it interesting how they chose to violate the compact car parking area. Kind of like an in-your-face, ha-ha, move that immature people think is really "cute."

Dang, that's one hell of a bad driver Bailout.

Yesterday I was driving to my friend's house which I had only been to once before so I missed a turn and had to go up to the next street and make a U-turn. Some guy in a old chevy FSP follows me so I pulse up to the speed limit of 35 and then put on my turn signal for the turn. He follows a few feet from my bumper with the left lane wide open and then makes the turn with me. After the turn he blows by me on a residential street with a fairly blind corner before zipping up to about 45.

For some reason he took this as a challenge and actually posed for the shot

I don't think he was posing, he was making sure you didn't get his license tag in the photo. :)

I don't think he was posing, he was making sure you didn't get his license tag in the photo. :)

....... For some reason he took this as a challenge and actually posed for the shot:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/04-19-08_0932.jpg


.................

The security guard thanked me and headed right for the truck, flagging him down. .....
.

Considering their attitude and behavior, you might think they would have outstanding warrants for traffic/parking tickets. If so, they probably about filled their pants when the guard came over.

Well done Brian. It's a little scary though--you're starting to remind me of a driller I know who yells at strangers who "forget" to flush in truckstop bathrooms.:p

Two nights ago the wife and I were on the way home on a connection highway with psl of 45mph. This area is pretty new construction and in its first couple months was a regular spot for motorcycle cops to hang out since a lot of people would go 65mph or so (which is the speed limit further down once it merges with the main highway).

As we approached an overpass in a nice-on coast, a giant pickup truck blew past us going around 70mph. We crested the hill just in time to see a police cruiser pull out of the median and chase the guy down :) I yelled "Justice!" and we had a great laugh as we coasted past the poor guy :P

Late Morning on Monday I was on rural I-80 in Iowa. The road was moderately busy, with the left lane running at about 73 and the right at about 69 (PSL=70) and everybody was holding nice 2-3 second gaps; it looked like a drivers ed video. Along comes a SUV/Station Wagon/CUV thing with OK plates and a large "commercial vehicle" sticker on the back. 73 wasn't fast enough for the guy, so he was leapfrogging the fast lane traffic by jerking back and forth between lanes, annoying literally every other driver on the road by cutting into their buffer while passing. It looked like about half the drivers hit their brakes when the guy cut them off and the guy was using his brakes after about half his lane changes. If this is a typical OK driver, Psyshack and Highwater, I feel for you.

About three cars behind the guy was an Iowa HiPo stalking the guy. The HiPo didn't hit the lights immediately and pull the guy over, but instead was letting the guy have a little rope to hang himself.:cool: The HiPo only needed about one quarter as many lane changes to keep up with him--it was fun to watch the difference that anticipating traffic made. Eventually they disappeared over a hill, but I saw them sitting by the road discussing a ticket about ten miles later.

brian, that guy and his family you photoed bothers me on so many levels.....attitude, apparent intellectual level, example he's setting for his kids and his flagrant rudeness and disregard for others. i have to be judgemental and say he doesn't look very bright and i don't think his reproduction added any good to the current gene pool.

Walking the dog today just outside the apartment. Residential neighborhood, kids, animals, everything else running around. its a 30mph street that's maybe 0.2 mi long between two throughfares. Most people do 20mph or so.

Guy comes up from behind doing AT LEAST 60MPH. :eek:

I saw a total Jekyll and Hyde SUV driver on my way home yesterday. He was 2 cars behind me with another SUV between us and a total line of about 10 cars stretching over a long distance by the time we were dropping into Reno. I was doing the new speed limit of 45 MPH and everyone was once again minding their manners. I'm still not sure how that happens but I'll take it!

Anyway, the whole way down the mountain he'd had good spacing, was never aggressive, etc. but once the road opened up to 4 lanes he became a monster. I was, of course, in the right lane and the SUV that had been behind me was lazily headed to the left lane when he came up behind me moving fast, engine screaming and the vehicle's fat, high-centered body rolling hard to the left and then to the right as he narrowly cut behind me to take the left lane, leaving a trail of white exhaust behind him.

He accelerated away up the hill and must have been doing at least 75 MPH in the 55 zone by the rime he crested it.

Surprise! /sarcasm There was an NHP Officer on patrol for speeders just on the other side of the hill. Before I'd even crested I saw a light bar moving across the ridge line. I soon passed the pair of them as the Officer was asking the driver for his documents.

I got tailgated today for doing - get this - 50 in a 45. Bigasssed lifted GMC pickup got right on my butt so all I saw was grille, and he hit the flashers (there was two lanes in each direction, he could have gone around). I wasn't in a good mood. I immediately brake checked that prick, which earned me more lights and the horn. He backed off a bit, then gunned it, V8 engine roaring, and what do you know, truck nutz and a farm plate on the back.

I passed him up three miles later at the red light as he tried to make a left and got stuck in traffic. Gave him the driver's salute.

I was tailgated yesterday by a work van. At one point, the van was less than three feet away from my back bumper while going 50mph. I happened to catch the company as the van (finally) passed me. I spoke with the owner (it was a small company) and told him about what had happened. He was very thankful for me to take the time out of my day to let him know. He said he'd take care of it. I don't know that he will, but I feel better that he knows about it.

I had just made it through a green light and a Silverado 4WD, with a bed that never has and never will see a load hauled, and tires that never have been and never will be off pavement, speeds past only to slam on the brakes at the red light 500 yards ahead. Nobody else is behind me, and a lawn truck with trailer in the right lane is stopping. I tuck in to the left lane and am coasting to the light, now 300 yards out.

WAAAAH! Wide Open Throttle sound, *ANOTHER* Silverado 4WD (and another never never) makes a right turn on red 200 yards behind me. Pulls up on me *FAST* and flashes his highbeams 200 yards from the red stoplight. O-K. I pull right, he WOTs by, I pull in behind him. Well, at least I'll have the lawn truck as a blocker after the green light.

We wait. And wait. And wait. He's got his foot on the brake and is blipping the throttle, I guess he likes to twist his frame.

The light changes, and he's doing a WOT and BRAKE behind the other Silverado, who has caught up and is tailgaiting a Corolla in front of him. I'm 6 seconds behind, and the lawn truck is another 6 seconds behind. Up the hill. WOT, BRAKE, WOT, BRAKE, WOT, BRAKE. The lawn truck is dropping back, and so am I. WOT, BRAKE, WOT, BRAKE. I'm now 10 seconds behind.


He stops to turn left on the right shoulder. Waits for the line of oncoming traffic. For oh about 9 seconds. He finally goes lumbering around the corner, and I unfortunately follow right behind him. Off he goes at 40 MPH through a posted 25 MPH zone. I lose touch, then come up on him again. He's been blocked by an SUV pulling out of a driveway, and as he WOTs past, then fades right slams on the brakes and turns left three driveways further up the road.

Dude. Decaf.

-mr. bill

I'm sure you are all as troubled by this as I am. I'm on my way to a doctor's appointment that I forgot about. I'm gonna be late. I decide that under these circumstances, speeding is probably not worth any lightening from up above, so I cruise up to 60 in a 55 zone.

I didn't make it a mile before I come up behind someone doing only 55. Worse, they tend to slow down up the hills. I'm getting frustrated here, I'm late and they are ruining my chance to make a little time.

Then it hits me, this is probably someone who got behind me when they were in a hurry, and they are having a ball paying me back!!!!! Yeah, that's the ticket.

Then reality comes back. They are driving appropriately, and probably saving gas. They are applying techniques that we use all the time. Life is good. Now back to my obvious problems of so easily fallling into the trap of seeing others as an impediment to my progress. I thought I was over that. Sad, sad, sad. So who is the JoTD here?

Oh, by the way, when I got to the doctor's office, their computers were down and they couldn't check anyone in. So, I was not late. Now how did that happen? Circumstance?

I've resolved to myself, from now on, whenever somebody tailgates me and flashes the lights, I'm going to brake check their ass everytime. I hate bright lights in my eyes, and twice as bad when I see it in my rear view, both side view mirrors, and of course, the rear windows.

Any way, I'm going from 471 to 71/75 south across the Ft Washington Way (downtown Cincinnati), and I'm in the right lane doing about 45 since I'd just come out of a really tight exit ramp, and some idiot in a Jeep Liberty got right on my ass and stayed there for about five seconds. Well, I should have a sticker that says "Are you a diaper? Then get off my ass!". Then the idiot his the flashers, and I've already dealt with my share of idiots on the road today, and I snapped. I stomped on the brakes and gave that idiot the driver's salute. He almost went off the road and into the concrete retaining wall.

(A bit of a background: Ft Washington Way is an eight lane road through downtown Cincinnati, where I-71, I-75, I-471 and US 50 all meet. It's a mess. It's a giant trench that divides the business district and the riverfront, with cars and stuff everywhere. There's concrete walls on both sides because the road is 20 feet lower than the nearby roads.)

When he recovered, he stomped on the gas, went around (returned the salute), V8 engine roaring, weaving in and out of traffic. So you can probably tell what kind of driver this was, anyway. If he had gone into the wall, I would have been like "Good riddance" and cruised on.

He's probably at home, or on Left Lane Speeder's forums talking either to his wife or another forum about "that idiot in a cheapass import who almost got me killed". :)


Did I help? Probably not.

"I've resolved to myself, from now on, whenever somebody tailgates me and flashes the lights, I'm going to brake check their ass everytime."

Concerned. Very concerned. You have chosen a path that has much too high a probability of:


hurting yourself
hurting the tailgater
hurting innocent bystanders
combinations of the above


NOTHING GOOD can come of this. NOTHING.

-mr. bill

I had a strange thing happen in front of me the other day. You've probably seen this before, people making right turns into shopping plazas from the driving lane when there was a turn lane. But this time not only did some on make a left turn from a driving lane where there was a turn lane, but they had stopped in the traffic lane. What were they thinking!?

Today I saw something strange on I-95. Not sure if it would be an example of a bad driver, since there was no driver in this car. But there it was, parked along a very wide shoulder of the highway...facing the wrong way.
All I could figure was somebody was real drunk, and just got out of the car and left it there, or someone played a really dirty trick on the owner of this car.
Very strange.

Auston, there must be a safer way of clearing tailgaters off your bumper. Have you tried giving them some washer spray? You could also try using a bright rear-facing light. That is what I do. It is not enough to blind anybody, but it will get annoying to stare at after a few seconds.

Auston, there must be a safer way of clearing tailgaters off your bumper. Have you tried giving them some washer spray? You could also try using a bright rear-facing light. That is what I do. It is not enough to blind anybody, but it will get annoying to stare at after a few seconds.

I've used the washer spray before (not usually effective). The light in the rear window sounds like a good idea. What do I have to do to get one of those? (And while I'm at it, I'm putting an aftermarket horn in this car...)

The light in the rear window sounds like a good idea. What do I have to do to get one of those?

hobbit has wired in a pushbutton he calls the Yuppie Button that simultaneously lights ALL the lights on the rear of the car: tail, brakes, turn, and (best of all) backup. Installing brighter backup bulbs might make it even more effective.

Got tailgated pretty good by a semi today and was wishing I had a YB.

I've resolved to myself, from now on, whenever somebody tailgates me and flashes the lights, I'm going to brake check their ass everytime.

Just to add to Mr. Bill's comments. By bad driver, I think you referred to the jeep and yourself.

To put this in perspective, you could already be charged with a crime, and your comments here could be evidence against you.
If you ever do it again, and the guy crashed, and there was a witness to identify you, you would almost certainly be charged with reckless driving and a whole barrel of other things plus you would be liable for all damages. If the guy was hurt or killed, you could be charged with anything from reckless endangerment to murder. And, your comments here could allow a good prosecutor to make it premeditated.

Because you have said it, you should never do it. Sorry to be a wet blanket.

hobbit has wired in a pushbutton he calls the Yuppie Button that simultaneously lights ALL the lights on the rear of the car: tail, brakes, turn, and (best of all) backup. Installing brighter backup bulbs might make it even more effective.

Got tailgated pretty good by a semi today and was wishing I had a YB.

~Hobbit: How did you make the yuppie button? I'd love to have one. :D

~Shiba3420: Probably right. I just snapped, is all.

Yeah, seems like here's where you want to say "I'd really like
to brake-check the prick" rather than "I *AM* going to brake-
check..." or worse yet, as you've already come close to, "I
brake-checked the twit and he whacked the jersey barrier and
rolled his stinkin' FSP bling tahoe in the ditch on the other
side and burst into flames as I drove away with his burning
hulk in my rear-view, hahaha!" or whatever. The discussion of
better signaling methodologies to help make one's wishes clearer
may be productive, a discussion of dangerous practice to screw
up other people in ways they can't safely respond to isn't.
Even if sometimes you really really want to get out at the next
light and take a baseball bat to him and his rattly hoopdie.
.
It is really tough to be positive sometimes. Hopefully we're
here to try and set an example. It takes a serious effort of
will sometimes to seize the rare opportunity and walk up to
someone who was just all over my butt with a "free fuel" flyer
and say "hi, here's something to help you out". But I have
done it on occasion. Sometimes it's a slightly more in-your-
face "read up on following distance!" or the like. I just
wish that some of THOSE PEOPLE could read about some of the
frustration they've been causing.
.
The YB is borderline, and yet sometimes really needed. I try
not to use it on trucks, as it *looks* like a brake-check in the
first few milliseconds and the 4-ways are a more diplomatic
gambit in those cases. Cars, SUVs, I care somewhat less about
and the suddenness often works wonders to get them off the
phone and paying attention as their front end recedes away.
I had one yesterday that responded by trying to get within
about two feet before blasting around, so it's no guarantee.
Adding the leftward thumb out the window also helps a lot,
which I think is absolutely the clearest signal but isn't
very good at night [or in winter!]. This (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=10189) has also met with
some perceived success in early testing just this past weekend.
.
Building a YB is different for every car since the wiring
harnesses aren't the same. In effect, you find accessible
control or output leads to the various lights and build little
relay circuits or even diode matrices to power them, taking
care not to back-power anything else the wrong way from the
wrong fuses. On my first one I split the directional harness
fore and aft but only because it was very convenient to do so
where the harness to the back ran under the center console. The
one in the Prius doesn't, so the front directionals come on too,
but it only uses one relay for the brakes [cuz it has to handle
an amp or so for the LEDs] and everything else is a dioded
control lead that either goes high or low depending on what it
needs. But that's basically it, just a wiring hack and a way to
trigger it. Step one is to obtain the full diagrams for your car.
.
_H*

http://www.cafepress.com/buy/road+rage/-/pv_design_prod/p_storeid.117524044/pNo_117524044/id_18291973/opt_/pg_/c_/fpt_

I'm thinking about this sticker. 90% of my commute is highway or four lane road.

Any major things to my car are pretty much out (totally lacking in mechanical or electric knowledge). What about one of those searchlights/large flashlights rigged up to a battery, which I can trigger from the front seat?

.
It is really tough to be positive sometimes. Hopefully we're
here to try and set an example. It takes a serious effort of
will sometimes to seize the rare opportunity and walk up to
someone who was just all over my butt with a "free fuel" flyer
and say "hi, here's something to help you out". But I have
done it on occasion. _H*


hobbit, is that the flyer the was talked about a while back to leave on windshields? do you have a copy of it? i was looking for that just a couple of weeks ago. if you have it, that would be great!

This last Saturday, I was driving home from a outting. There was traffic enough for the flow to be between 35 and 50 mph. All the lanes are full and I'm on the furthest right lane. This guy in an SUV comes barreling down my lane, once he get closer he flashes me again and again. I had two thoughts: 1) "Don't hit me don't hit me don't hit me." 2) After he flashed me "What? are you an F'ing idiot?....THERE'S TRAFFIC!...YOU'RE THE ONE WHO HAD THE GENIOUS IDEA OF PASSING ON THE RIGHT!!"... Yes, I was yelling in my thoughts.

Laurieaw, see this (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/freefuel.gif) and this (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/freefuel.txt) -- assuming that's what you meant.
.
Oh, and the "long form" can be derived/printed from here (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/mpghints.html).
I don't use this one as often at shows and the like, since
the public's attention span is pretty limited...
.
_H*

Laurieaw, see this (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/freefuel.gif) and this (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/freefuel.txt) -- assuming that's what you meant.
.
Oh, and the "long form" can be derived/printed from here (http://techno-fandom.org/~hobbit/cars/mpghints.html).
I don't use this one as often at shows and the like, since
the public's attention span is pretty limited...
.
_H*

YES, that's what i was looking for.thanks!!

The other evening on Mount Rose Highway my carpooling buddy and I came around the second turn below the summit just in time to see a bunch of smoke and dust and airborne debris on the inside track, across the uphill lane and down an embankment. This is not the first time I've seen this sight as there are "Ditchriders" born monthly or so.

I immediately crossed the oncoming lane and parked on the soft shoulder. My buddy had a cell signal so I had him call 911 as we watched a young lady, perhaps 20 or 22, crawl out the passenger window of the Honda Accord Coupe that she had just rolled into the ditch. She was shaken up but alright and we gave her some water and a place to sit while we waited for the emergency responders to arrive.

She had simply come around the corner too quickly on the downhill side, misjudging both her speed and the camber of the road (it's an off-camber turn), then made the mistakes of over-correcting and locking her brakes. She left 50m of skid marks across both lanes before shooting across the soft shoulder/plow zone and into the ditch.

In the picture another man that stopped to help can be seen gathering personal items out of the car for the young lady:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/500/medium/accord-in-ditch.png


Not readily apparent from the photograph (cell phone camera) is the extensive damage both to the front of the car and the driver's side. There was also an unhealthy amount of multiple fluid discharge. I would be surprised if the car isn't totaled by the insurance carrier.

Before we left after being given clearance to do so by the scene supervisor the girl hugged us both, and as she did so I whispered in her ear, "From now on please slow down, hun, not just up here but in all your driving.". She whispered in return, "I will. I promise.". Let's hope she learns from this costly mistake.

Yesterday I was getting on the freeway and got behind a big truck carrying a bunch of dirt. Even though there was a long on-ramp, this nutball got on the freeway going 25-30 mph!!! It was the middle of the day, so everyone was going 70+. So here I am getting dirt all over my car because hey, covering the load is just waaayyyyy too much for this dude, praying that nobody runs into my rear end. I finally get around him and pass him like he's standing still at 60mph. About 6 miles later I get off the freeway, wait until the stoplight turns, and just as I turn onto the side street I see this guy finally finally coming around the bend at *maybe* 40 mph. Idiot!

:Banane36:

... The wikipedia says that many states have minimums, often 40 mph, which are usually not posted.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_limits_in_the_United_States

--des

Or ambiguous. I live in WA state and we have this gem:

(1) No person shall drive a motor vehicle at such a slow speed as to impede the normal and reasonable movement of traffic except when reduced speed is necessary for safe operation or in compliance with law...RCW 46.61.425 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.61.425)

This one makes me smile. I was in slow moving traffic on my morning commute on I-90 near Roselle Rd. I was leaving a healthy buffer between myself and the car in front of me, using the DWB method, and had a V-8 Ford F-250 right on my butt. As always, I'm in the far right lane. Sure enough, at one of the ON ramps, he cuts over, floors it, and passes me on the right, only to slam on the brakes when he gets to the car that 5-6 car lengths up. About 1/4 farther down the highway, he gets off at the next exit, along with the other 4 cars in front of me and the 3 behind me.

Summary: Angry pickup driver wastes gas to gain absolutely no position ahead upon exiting.

It really does make me smile.

I couldn't see him due to traffic and didn't know how to interpret the opticons (the little white strobe lights) at the time because (as stated in that other thread) I STILL have not seen any documentation of how to read those yet. (If it is solid, the emergency vehicle is headed the same direction you are; blinking and it is proceeding through from some other direction). [/QUOTE]

FWIW,

In Illinois at least, Opticoms flash if an emergency vehicle is headed in the general direction of traffic, unless there is a left-turn arrow. If there is a dedicated left-turn arrow the opticom will flash and give a green signal in the direction the emergency vehicle is traveling and give a solid signal, and red light, to all other directions.
Essentially, the pre-emption gives a flashing signal and green light to the emergency vehicle that "captures" it first. Solid white signals indicate a light will change to red. The white signal lights atop intersection controls are for us, not ordinary drivers. They indicate who has control of an intersection when emergency vehicles approach simultaneously from different directions.
Few people pay attention anyway. The other day, when I cycled a traffic signal out of sequence, I had to wait for 6 cars to blow through a light after I had changed it to red for the perpendicular road.

Here's the link for infra-red (strobe-based) and GPS opticom systems.
http://www.gtt.com/Products/Opticom-IR

I was rolling up to a light this morning on a fas in the right lane. I noticed a Corolla coming up next to me. We both got stoped. We both had about a cars lenght in front of us. The driver of the Rolla was chating away on a cell phone. I then checked my mirrors. I noticed a Envoy barreling down on the Rolla. With the sun shining thru the SUV I could see they where chatting on a cell. Bad went to worse. They were not slowing down. I fired the Mazda and went for the shoulder... hard right wheels spining... Im out of here. Sure enough the SUV blasted into the Rolla. The Rolla's rear end went up in the air and landed where I had been.

Both of the idiots held on to there phones and were still talking. The SUV driver had a air bag go off. Still on the phone.

No hope for humans....

I physically had to take the cellphone out of a driver's hand and close it to explain that we were going to be cutting her out with the Jaws once....I've seen a driver hit a police officer at an accident scene while still on their phone and not hang up, even as the officer is screaming at them to turn off the car and step out.

Don't get me started on people with cell phones who have almost hit me at accident scenes on the tollway...

This one makes me smile. I was in slow moving traffic on my morning commute on I-90 near Roselle Rd. I was leaving a healthy buffer between myself and the car in front of me, using the DWB method, and had a V-8 Ford F-250 right on my butt. As always, I'm in the far right lane. Sure enough, at one of the ON ramps, he cuts over, floors it, and passes me on the right, only to slam on the brakes when he gets to the car that 5-6 car lengths up. About 1/4 farther down the highway, he gets off at the next exit, along with the other 4 cars in front of me and the 3 behind me.

Summary: Angry pickup driver wastes gas to gain absolutely no position ahead upon exiting.

It really does make me smile.

It's probably the same F-2250 that hit & ran me when he went left of center in a construction zone in Long Grove last week. Fortunately, the law caught him and he was charged with leaving the scene even though he swears he didn't think he caused an "accident worth reporting."