Driving Pet Peeves

[FVBrewerFan]

Most people don't know how to merge from an on ramp to a freeway. State law does not dictate you fly down the ramp into traffic and other drivers are "supposed to" move over. If you are merging, the drivers on the freeway HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. I'm convinced at least 50% of drivers don't know that's the law. A lot of people don't even look, it's amazing. The alternative, of course, is the driver who slows down to 10MPH or even stops at the bottom of the ramp.

[mtrebs]

One of my biggest pet peeves is when I am right behind a semi on an on-ramp. It obviously takes the semi a while to get up to highway speed so I am accelerating at the same slow rate. The geniuses behind me cannot wait for the semi and me to get on the highway so they cut across the striped white lines that separate the highway from the on-ramp and pull all the way into the left lane. By the time I get on the highway I am up to highway speed and then they are in the left lane, preventing me from moving over, so then I have to slow down because the semi is still accelerating. This seems to happen to me on a weekly basis.

 

This probably bothers me worse than it should, but it's probably because the one time I was pulled over in my life, I was behind a minivan on the on-ramp they were accelerating so slowly that they maybe were going 45 mph when they got to the highway. I floored it and went around the minivan and thankfully was pulled over before I got to too high of a rate of speed. I got a written warning for going over those striped white lines as an illegal lane change. I've never crossed those lines again.

[bacon06]

This whole thread has been money.

 

I will reiterate the warning about Minnesota drivers. Illinois drivers may drive recklessly, but at least they keep moving. Minnesota drivers will sit in the left lane going the speed limit or a little above and not move over. I have followed a Minnesota driver for 15 minutes waiting for it to move over and it never did, so I ended up passing on the right.

 

Also, when leaving a parking lot, like at a Brewer game, the people who don't know proper etiquette in letting people in. It is not difficult. You let someone in, move ahead, the person behind you lets someone in, move ahead, rinse, lather, repeat. I get to the point where I just have to slowly creep ahead because no one will let me in otherwise.

 

Speaking of Brewer traffic, I love the people that don't understand the sign at the intersection of Hwy 18 and Wisconsin Avenue that says "No turn on Red from left lane." Just about every time I go that way, someone will stop in the right lane on a red light and not move.

[1992casey]

the striped white lines that separate the highway from the on-ramp

 

Those things are called gores or gore areas. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

[mtrebs]

the striped white lines that separate the highway from the on-ramp

 

Those things are called gores or gore areas. http://forum.brewerfan.net/images/smilies/smile.gif

Wow...I've never heard of a name for those before.

[NeedMoreFans]

Here's one of mine...

 

You are driving in the right lane of a freeway approaching an off ramp. A car comes speeding past you in the left, only to exit at the off ramp. Why did that car just pass you?

[homer]

I remember when I was in Milwaukee back in April, I went to one of the clubs downtown and showed them my AZ license, and they looked at my expiration date (2048) and thought my ID was a fake. They had to break out their little "how to spot a fake id" guide before they let me in the club.

Same thing happened to me when I moved from AZ to Milwaukee.

 

Wait, so someone living in Arizona could be stuck with a picture themselves from high school until they're well into their 50's?

That was the running joke.....people would say "I hope I look this good in 45 years."

 

 

[Patrick425]

Here's one of mine...

 

You are driving in the right lane of a freeway approaching an off ramp. A car comes speeding past you in the left, only to exit at the off ramp. Why did that car just pass you?

Ok, I'll raise my hand, I do what you just described. I didn't realize I annoyed people by doing it though. Here is why I do it and this is actually something to add to my list of things that annoys me when I'm driving. I'm driving along in the right lane on the freeway ready to get off the freeway. The car in front of me starts slowing down in preperation to exit the freeway. I don't get that. The majority of exit ramps are plenty long enough to allow you time to slow down once you are actually on the ramp. There is no need to slow down to 45 before even getting to the ramp.

 

The reason I want to pass this person is because I know he/she will make no effort to make the light at the end of the ramp, should it happen to be green. Ok, yes, I'll admit it. I'm a bit of an aggressive driver. Sorry.

[T B0NE 10]

---

Here's one of mine...

 

You are driving in the right lane of a freeway approaching an off ramp. A car comes speeding past you in the left, only to exit at the off ramp. Why did that car just pass you?

I have to admit, this is something I do quite a bit also, especially on my drive to school in the morning. I'm usually pushing it on my drive there, and need every second I can get. Also I just can't stand driving 64 mph.

 

[And That]

I do that too, Patrick. Especially with gas prices where they are now, if there's any chance in Hades that I'm making that light at the end of the ramp, I'm going for it. Slow down on the ramp, not before it. Definitely.

 

I too am an aggressive driver, usually within the bounds of the law. Defensive drivers irk me tons more than overly aggressive drivers - I can dig fear of accidents, but by being overly defensive it just means you're not being relaxed in the driver's seat and you're driving counter to most other people on the road (which isn't safe, and sort of negates the purpose of driving defensively).

 

I don't drive defensively at all, I drive aggressively and courteously to other people on the road and I've never been remotely close to being in an accident.

[And That]

One other big pet peeve of mine is...

 

When you come to an intersection that has dual left or right turn lanes, people act like it's the first time in their lives they've ever had the option to choose from two different turn lanes that go the same direction. And it being the first time in their lives they've ever had the option, confusion invariably sets in once the turning commences and they have no idea what lane they are supposed to end up in. If you're in the left left-turn lane, you are supposed to turn into the nearest non-turn-only lane. If you're in the right left-turn lane, you are supposed to turn into the second nearest non-turn-only lane. And usually there are even lines! Is this really difficult?

 

And then even when they figure out which lane they are supposed to turn into, they realize they are not in the lane they want to be in. So they swerve, usually without a turn signal, into their preferred lane.

 

An addendum to this is the right turn variation at a stop light when there is a sign that clearly states "DO NOT TURN RIGHT ON RED FROM THE LEFT-HAND RIGHT TURN LANE" and people do it anyway.

[Chio151]

I've got the opposite complaint about bikers who ride on busy roads. If you want to be treated like a car, act like one. It is really irritating when you have people on bicycles that are weaving in and out of traffic and not obeying stops in the same manner, etc. The rules of the road are for any vehicle on the road - motor or not.

 

Ironically, I witnessed a biker get pulled over this morning by a sherrif in an SUV. Sorta funny, because it was a remote intersection and I was the only other car around.

 

By FAR though, it's the bumper rider when you are stuck in a line of cars. Seriously, where in the hell do you want me to go? I can't push the line of cars... I usually make a quick point of just coasting for a while with my foot off the gas. No brake, I don't want to die, but I always always do the opposite of what that person wants -- which is to speed out of the way.

[Jeff S]

What gets me is the person who stops 1 to 2 car lengths behind the person in front of them at a stop light. This is especially annoying when you can't get into the turn lane because they are blocking it. More then once I've been behind cars who stopped way behind the car in front of them. If they would have only pulled up 2 feet I would have been able to get into the turn lane in time to get the light. Instead I miss the light and have to wait an extra 5 minutes. It always seemed to happen at least once a week at the same intersection on my way home from work. Several times I drove up over the curb a bit to get past the car in front of me so I could get the light.

[And That]

Motorcyclists also tend to forget lane laws apply to them. Just because you're small, it does not mean you can create your own third lane.

[blatzlight]

What gets me is the person who stops 1 to 2 car lengths behind the person in front of them at a stop light. This is especially annoying when you can't get into the turn lane because they are blocking it. More then once I've been behind cars who stopped way behind the car in front of them. If they would have only pulled up 2 feet I would have been able to get into the turn lane in time to get the light. Instead I miss the light and have to wait an extra 5 minutes. It always seemed to happen at least once a week at the same intersection on my way home from work. Several times I drove up over the curb a bit to get past the car in front of me so I could get the light.

I hate this and honk at people that do it. Granted, I honk at a lot people because I think they are not paying attention to anyone else on the road and it bothers me. Move people!

 

[bucks2281]

My pet peeve:

 

When I'm in the right line at a red light and I want to make a right turn on red, there's usually somebody in front of me in the right line who plans on going straight. I can't stand that -- it seems like people don't realize that there is a whole line of cars in back of them who need to turn right. If you need to go straight, use another lane, please.

[tristarscoop]

What gets me is the person who stops 1 to 2 car lengths behind the person in front of them at a stop light. This is especially annoying when you can't get into the turn lane because they are blocking it. More then once I've been behind cars who stopped way behind the car in front of them. If they would have only pulled up 2 feet I would have been able to get into the turn lane in time to get the light. Instead I miss the light and have to wait an extra 5 minutes. It always seemed to happen at least once a week at the same intersection on my way home from work. Several times I drove up over the curb a bit to get past the car in front of me so I could get the light.

I hate this and honk at people that do it. Granted, I honk at a lot people because I think they are not paying attention to anyone else on the road and it bothers me. Move people!

 

Right. You do the short honk and give them a little wave forward motion and they look at you in their rearview like you're the idiot. Then they flip you off for beeping at them. Classicly clueless.

 

[John Brew]

I'm 5th or 6th in line to make a left hand turn. The arrow turns green and the first car, for whatever unfathomable reason, waits a good 5 seconds after the light turns to begin his turn. On top of that, the cars following him/her all leave this huge gap as if they are waiting for the car in front of them to complete their turn before they begin their ultra tricky turn manuever.

 

Amen, and not just on left turns. At any stop light, if there's a line of cars, when the light turns green, if everyone would step on the gas at the same time, we could all be moving immediately.

 

Also, why do smokers feel it's okay to litter? Why is the street your ashtray when there's one in your car? Do you not realize that when you're cruising along and decide to flick your butt out of your car, it happens to fly into the car behind you?

[Brew Man Dan]

http://images.yuku.com/image/bmp/b0b151928683111c6ccc8a62f6e0978918e6093.bmp

My real pet peeve is when a car is turning left and turns directly into the right lane. Not only is that illegal, but it doesn't allow the car turning right to turn. Ugh.

 

[nohopspanther]

My biggest pet peeve, accidents are caused by hesitation, not aggressiveness. Make your move decisively, not I'm thinking about changing lanes so I'll start to drift and look all around me and then maybe turn on my signal and finish the move.

[cwolf2012]

I get really annoyed by anyone who slows down before they put on their turn signal. I can't just assume you're turning, so instead of being able to merge into the right lane and go around you at full speed (which is safer than merging at a lower speed), I now have to wait behind you and so do the several cars that are immediately behind me.

 

Similarly, anyone who puts on a signal 100 ft before an intersection (many times with a light) and then proceeds to go through the intersection and turn a 100 ft past the main intersection. It's incredibly dangerous because anyone turning right on red should (rightly) think that you're turning at that intersection and may turn right into you.

 

Anyone who starts to slow down for a yellow light while I'm turning left and controlling the intersection then proceeds to gun it when they decide to actually go through the intersection.

 

I prefer aggressive drivers to passive/defensive drivers. Aggressive drivers are much more predictable.

[Schlitz001]

Only two large driving pet peeves for me:

1) Aggression.

2) Impatience.

Who are these people and why are they in such a hurry? Leave the house a few minutes earlier instead of tailgating me. It might be evil (and maybe dangerous) of me, but I purposely slow down if someone is tailgating me and can't get around. With gas at $4 a gallon, why not slow down, and drive a little safer.

EDIT: I suppose if you're an aggressive driver, what I just wrote sounds hypocritical. I have a job where I spend days at a time on the road and more often than not it seems to me like the impatient drivers only have one thing on their mind and that's getting to their destination as quickly as possible, usually being much less cautious and aware than those that planned their drive accordingly.

[Patrick425]

Only two large driving pet peeves for me:

1) Aggression.

2) Impatience.

 

Who are these people and why are they in such a hurry? Leave the house a few minutes earlier instead of tailgating me. It might be evil (and maybe dangerous) of me, but I purposely slow down if someone is tailgating me and can't get around. With gas at $4 a gallon, why not slow down, and drive a little safer.

Ok, first of all, When I read this I thought geez Schlitz, this contridicts what you said earlier about honking at people. Then I realized, it was Blatz that said that, not Schlitz (silly me).

 

Anyways, as I mentioned, I tend to be on the aggressive side when I drive. Whether I was a half hour ahead of schedule or a half hour behind, I would still be agressive. It really has little to do with whether I'm late or not. A lot of it also has to do with the volume of traffic, and if you are not use to driving in rush hour conditions it's hard to understand this. Most of the time (unless there is an accident that has put everything at a stand still) I drive much faster during rush hour than if I was on an empty freeway in the middle of nowhere.

 

There is an unwritten agreement during rush hour that everyone in the left hand lane does at least 75 and sometimes 80+. Occasionally you get the guy that does not really understand this "agreement" and wanders into the left lane talking on his cell phone and driving 63 while a line of cars piles up behind him. This causes cars behind him to start switching lanes and weaving in and out in search of an opening to get in front of the "slow" guy. This in turn increases the chances of an accident happening. If people would understand the lane they "belong" in during rush hour, there would be much less accidents and things would go much smoother. Of course, the Zoo interchange messes this up because of the left hand exits. It shouldn't matter though, if slower drivers who are taking the left side exit would just realize that they do not need to get in that lane 5 miles ahead of time.

 

If I get up for an early t-time on a Saturday and I'm on the freeway at 6:30am, I put the cruise on about 5 mph over the speed limit and stay in middle or right lane as cars occasionally fly by me. Much greater chance of getting a ticket in that situation.

[Crewin06]

I agree with the ones most have mentioned. Another one is when you are on a two way highway and you need to get over and there is a 2 car lengths between a car and the car in front of them. You want to merge in so you can turn about a mile or two up the road. You throw on your blinker thinking the trailing car might slow down a bit to create more room or remain at the same speed so you can get in. Instead the trailing car speeds up and makes sure that you can't get in.

I have found that Blinkers are useless on a 2 lane highway. I still use them all the time but don't see much help by actually using them.
BTW I am a huge defensive driver but if you are going to the speed limit, slightly over or the same speed as the guy in the right lane move the F over.

[Menotti80]

good ones people.

 

this morning, i was driving in the parkway with noone behind me. ahead, on the right, there was a car stopped waiting to turn left into the parkway. it seemed like they were going to wait for me to pass them before turning, but as i was approaching, they for some reason jerked their head to check the other way, and gunned it, causing me to slow down significantly.

 

what are you thinking?!?!?!??!?! and why cant you wait for me to pass??????? it's not like there's a line of 15 cars behind me...

 

 

as far as people passing you on the freeway before you exit - ive done this, but only because thats the only way i can get into the right lane to exit without slowing down under the speed limit to find a place to merge over. and no, it's not like i didn't plan ahead to be in the right lane ahead of time, thats not the case.