What drives you nuts on the road?
 

Thought of this while writing in the 'who drives' thread. What drives you absolutely batshit crazy when you are driving? For me, it's people who hold up traffic when turning, cause the lane they want isn't available. Also people who think that merge means stop. We have a lot of merging roads here and people stop all the time, cause they think that they are supposed to jump across the merge lane and get right into the main lane. I've seen people stop on the on-ramp on highways, which is incredibly dangerous and stupid.

Lets see:
Cellphones.
Pulling all the way to the left to take a right (and vice versa).
Cellphones.
Cutting me off and driving at 15mph.
Cellphones.
When the person on front of me is attempting to merge on the highway at 35mph.
Cellphones.
No lane discipline on the highway.
Cellphones.
People that don't use directionals. Especially when they clearly see me waiting for them to pass so I can pull out.
Cellphones.
Rubberneckers.

People who drive with their pet or child in their lap. I can't see how that is even remotely safe. Also pisses me off when someone doesn't check for pedestrians before they turn. I've been nearly hit while walking so many times in this town. I won't even step out into the road anymore until a driver makes eye contact and indicates they will stop.

People who text message and drive.
People who text message and drive with their newborn baby in the car.
People who don't believe in using turn signals.
People who like to pull out in front of me at the last possible second.
Old men that wear hats. It's the sign of a very slow driver, about 85% of the time.

Tailgaters.
Texting and driving. I no longer assume the slowpoke in front of me is an old person. More often than not, it's a jackass texting and driving.
People who honk the very second the light turns green.
People who fly through active school zones.

• Drivers who are turning and don't heed the right of way of crossing pedestrians. Especially those who think if one car turns, it means the rest of them have some kind of invisible advance green turning signal.
• Cellphone users. Most of my close calls as a pedestrian were from cellphone users who were more focused on other traffic (and their conversations) than on crossing pedestrians.
• Drivers who honk merely because they can't wait a fucking second.
• Excessive speeders, especially in inclement weather.
• Drivers who tailgate and then flash their lights at you to get you out of their way, even though you're already 20-30km over the speed limit.
• Drivers who knowingly block intersections due to their case of acute me-firstness.
• Drivers who won't let a single driver in who happens to be stuck in an adjacent lane.
• That smug sense of entitlement and/or ignorance and/or false security that tends to reside in the minds of far too many SUV drivers.

There are more, I'm sure, I just can't think of them at the moment.

I try not to get too upset by anything on the road, but there are a few things that frustrate me when I'm driving.

Left turns from right lanes.
Right turn from left lanes.
People who insist on waiting for the left turn light even though there is more than enough room for them to turn.
Inattentive drivers that don't react to the light turning green

The last two only bother me when they result in me getting stuck at an intersection for another cycle.

Every other person out there? The biggest ones are people driving way too slow on the freeway causing everyone to group up and jackasses who haul ass around all the people in the turn lane and try to merge in last second.

arabs in landcruisers tailgating at 140km/hr

arabs in landcruisers flashing their lights to tell you to get out of the way before they tailgate you at 140km/hr

arabs in landcruisers who swerve through lanes without indicating

arabs in lanscruisers who think they own the road and wont leave the left lane until they force you out of it by tailgating you

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edit:

just wanted to clarify that its not arabs in general that i dislike..but living here and driving over 100 miles a day, i see a lot of shit that goes on. and the most dangerous shit just so happens to be done by the local arabs who couldnt care less if they got a fine for 1000 USD. its pocket change for some of these guys

Take a deep breath. Your anger won't change their behavior.

People who mount their GPS units right in front of them, then stare at them instead of the road.
Has anyone else noticed that the more expensive the vehicle, the less likely the directional signals will be used?

I see that nobody has posted about drivers who push through yellow lights as they turn red. Am I the only one?

It sure feels that way. Every time I'm late through a yellow light and feel guilty, I see the next couple of cars push through behind me. Impatient Jerks.

People who cut across 3 lanes so they don't miss their exit.
People who pull onto the shoulder and back up to get to their exit.
People who stop in the middle of the road and hold up traffic to wave you across when they have the right of way. Especially when you're waiting for the left turn lane on the other side of them to clear up.

Doesn't yellow mean "go faster"?

don't forget cellphones...
assholes...

generally in the emergency ward

I will not suffer the police breaking the rules of the road. They speed (not 5 mph over the speed limit, 20 mph over the speed limit. In a 35 zone), they run lights, they never signal, they cut you off, they bully, and they've almost killed me about 3 dozen times in the past year alone. I'd like the authority to pull them over, because they're not stopping murders by not signaling.

Power corrupts.

I haven't driven in over a month so I'm not generally upset by driving habits. However, when I do drive, my biggest pet peeve is people who pull into the intersection during heavy traffic only to get caught there when the light is red and can't move because the pedestrians are crossing and cause traffic in both perpendicular directions to miss their green light entirely.


Will, do you report them when you see them breaking traffic laws? If it's a smaller town, they'll definitely hear it from the shift sergeant. If it's a larger town, it's a toss-up. If it's Chicago, they'll probably tell you to go fuck yourself.

Soccer moms, in huge SUV's, on their cellphones, holding up traffic in the school parking lot, while their child visits with friends, instead of entering the vehicle. :)

PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW HOW TO MERGE!

I'm sorry for the caps. I realize it's taboo... but... those fucking non-merging sons of...

My dad has taught me how to respect motorcyclists and keep a safe distance when driving behind them. It bothers me when others don't do the same. It also bothers me when I see some motorcyclists drive on the white line in between the cars. I am sure there is more, but I can't think of them right now. I will let you know after I drive to work tomorrow.

The SJPD is very, very good at fighting crime. They're at about the same level as Batman. Unfortunately, they're not so good at self-regulation. As a matter of fact, they enjoy a rather bad reputation when it comes to self-correction. We're in California, so they wouldn't tell me to go fuck myself, but I'd get the friendlier, sushi version.

I dislike:

Drivers who leave their ass sticking out into a lane of traffic while they wait to get into the left turning lane, leaving you to wait through an extra light cycle because they are entitled to make you wait for their convenience. Go up the street and make a u-turn people, it only takes an extra five minutes.

Drivers who, trying to merge into traffic from the left-turning lane in front of my apartment, will suddenly speed up when they see my left blinker on, effectively blocking me from the lane in time to make the turn into my complex. Apparently this is due to a mortal fear that the mere sight of my rear bumper will turn them to dust.

Like Baraka said, tailgaters on the highway who get right up on your ass and do that blinkie thing at you when you are already well in excess of the speed limit.

Drivers who block intersections and then sit there pretending not to see you.

Drivers who will not pull over for emergency vehicles. Has anyone else noticed this trend?

UPS delivery van drivers. They are all fucking insane.

Parents at my daughter's school who will nudge along side me in line in an effort to drop their kid off first.

People who attempt to use the bike lane as a right-hand turn lane or a parking spot as a right-hand turn lane drive me nuts. They're just asking for it!

Drivers who don't look out for bicyclists drive me crazy! Being a bicyclist has made me a more cautious driver. I cringe every time I see a near-miss--thankfully I only see near-misses. Near-misses seem to happen most frequently when cars are attempting to take a right across a bike line and do so without checking for a bicyclist. Please, for the love of Pete, LOOK.

The drivers who come barreling down my street also drive me nuts. It's a 25, yet people consistently go 35.

Drivers who are impatient. Relax, we'll all get there eventually. Best to get there in one piece!

parking lots - that reminds me:

People who drive like a bat out of hell in parking lots.
People who will beep and speed past you like a bat out of hell even though you are almost completely backed out of your parking space.
People who deliberately park in two spaces in small or crowded parking lots without a lot of extra slots (like where I work).

People driving in the far left lane on the highway, but going less than the speed limit.

Not using turn signals.

Tailgaters, most definitely. But even MORE so when it's a cop attempting to get you to speed up so they can pull you over. Ugh.


Oh---and definitely the people that take up two parking spaces, or park diagonally. I always want to park diagonally as well, right next to them.

People who stop in the street to have a conversation with someone in another car or on the sidewalk, stopping traffic.

On top of what you all have already said, the two things that bother the hell out of me are people who need to come to a complete stop to turn right into where ever they're going even though they can turn in just fine without stopping at all and bikers who bike against traffic. Hell, most bikers around this city piss me off because for some reason, they feel like the traffic laws do not apply to them....fucking idiots.

Bad roads drive me bananas. Hitting deep potholes and the BANG it makes.
Being stuck behind garbage trucks.
People turning without turn signals.
Things flying into the windshield at Mach 3 that first scare the shit out of you, then leave permanent chips/cracks.
Washing the car and it rains the next day.
Running over animals. I ran over a squirrel once and the crunch (and smell) messed up the rest of my day.

all of you should go driving in thailand or somewhere in asia...... LOL These are all common things
Turning without light signal is essential in some place (aka bangkok + other place) if you dont peak the nose in first then you dont get to go.
Motorcycle are all in between cars because there are no extra space for them, so you need to be careful when you turn and have to look out for 10s of motorcycle at any given time.
Pedestrian doesnt have way in big cities in asia, because if car wait for pedestrian then all of them wont get to work on time. (instead many cities have overhead pass, in which people are generally lazy and tried to jaywalk which is a equation of accident and end up in ER)


... Personally things that drive me nuts depend on where i am driving
If im in canada, i get irritate with all those things you guys/girls have suggested
If im driving in thailand, i wont mind it at all because i know whats its like to drive there.

In some states, it's legal to use the white lines, generally when traffic's at a snail's pace. I don't like and my partner knows not to try-smacks to the helmet are very loud and can cause whiplash :p
We've come close to getting hit a few times-something like 80% of car/bike accidents are caused by the driver of the car.

What drive me nuts:
Cellphones
Cellphones
Cellphones
HANG UP THE DAMNED PHONE AND DRIVE!
Lost drivers
Old women in Buicks, specially if there's more than one in the car. They can't do the speed limit, they don't pay attention at all and they take forever to start moving.
Anyone else notice that people in big ass Lincolns and Mercedes never yield, never use their signals and don't know what the line in the middle of the road is for?
Tailgaters. If you're gonna ride my ass, at least know my name. I'm doing 80 already, how fast do I need to be going?
Trucks governed at 65 who get into the left lane to pass another doing 64, thereby making me slam on my brakes.
Riding in the car when the spouse drives.

Y'all would kill me!!!

**Hides away from thread**

I live in small-town America where people are overly polite at times. We have our share of bad drivers including all of the ones you have mentioned. However, what bothers me the most these days is when I pull up to a 4-way stop after the car across from me has pulled up and we sit, and sit, and sit. It's not my turn to go, so I wait. If I wait long enough the other driver will proceed and then give me a bad look that I didn't go first. What the other driver doesn't realise is that I couldn't see them waving me on to go first because of the glare on their windshield or the tinted windows. Why can't they just go when it's their turn??? This happens alot. Small-town America.

-Bicyclists who don't obey traffic laws! They think they own the road here, it's annoying.
-Motorists who move into open lanes with out looking, my boyfriend took off someone's mirror who did this the other day with his motorcycle. I've done the same on my bike.
-Squids! Sport bike riders who wear no gear and ride like idiots, they make the rest of us look bad.

After reading all of these, I'm having a hard time making up my own list of peeves while driving, which is funny, as I drive for hours daily.

The one that gets to me actually scares me, as people doing it nearly killed me, and now, I'm incredibly cautious.

Years ago, when training for my G2 driving test, I was told by my instructor that it is safe and ok to turn right if there are two lanes, while oncoming traffic has a green left turning signal.

More recently, it has become popular in my city to turn left, and not turn into the left-most lane, but the right or center lane, making wide turns like a truck or city bus. Its regularly done by vans, SUV's, and small cars.

I was nearly hit on my side (driver's side) by a huge van because of this dangerous maneuver. And I was watching, like I always do! The driver was turning fine, so I take my foot off the brake and start to turn my tires, when the van speeds up mid-turn, and makes a move for the right lane, just to speed by the other drivers in front of him that had turned left.

Scary. Shit.

The more I drive, the more cautious and observant I become. I do my best to stay off high traffic roads, move away from dangerous drivers, and always ALWAYS signal.
I love love LOVE driving on the highway/freeway. I think I could be a truck driver, as its almost thrilling to me. I make regular summer road trips now, driving across states, fun times.

Anybody that is not paying attention. Pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, riders, anyone. The guy in front of you who's looking for something, but somehow misses the mass of cars behind him. The guy walking across the street as the light is turning yellow, and takes his sweetass time because he has the "right of way." The guy on the freeway that merges between cars that are probably 1.5 car lengths away and stays there, even though the next lane over is EMPTY and safe to merge into. The guy who keeps going when an ambulance/fire truck/cop car has their lights and horns blaring (and the people who just stop in the middle of the road instead of pulling over). I'd like to believe these people aren't intentionally doing these things, but I can't think of any other reason that would make it better.

To me it seems like these people have nowhere to go, like a big group of sunday-drivers on vacation. In big crowded cities, people are on a mission to get somewhere; hauling ass to get to work, to get to some emergency or just to get home. I'm rarely in a rush to get anywhere, but I still make sure I'm not in anyone's way. The guy next to me is speeding up, I'll take my foot off the gas cuz he more than likely wants to merge. Someone wants to turn as I'm crossing the street, I'll pick up the pace a bit. I wont break into a sprint, but at least I'm acknowledging them.

What drives me nuts?

Kentucky.

Seriously! Since moving here a few years ago, I am constantly shocked at the level of ridiculously bad driving.

• Failure to move when the light turns green. It is like the entire STATE has slower than normal reaction times. I've been 5th in a line of cars at a light and had to wait through 2 cycles because of this.
• Pulling out from a driveway onto the highway, only to turn into the next driveway 100 meters up the road. This usually happens RIGHT in front of me when I have absolutely no one behind me for another 1/2 mile.
• Huge amounts of traffic accidents at the slightest hint of snow or ice. Seriously! Every damn year, there are literally hundreds of accidents around the county on the first day of snow.
• False courtesy at 4-way stops. 'No you first. No you. No you, I insist' Somebody FUCKING GO!!!!
• False courtesy at letting some driver (usually a pretty girl) turn into traffic ahead of you, while 35 of us are stuck behind you waiting to move forward. Here's a tip, she's not going to sleep with you. I will, however, punch you in the throat.
• People on bikes who make real cyclists (like me) look bad by not obeying traffic laws.

Non-Kentucky related driving complaints are pretty much everything surrounding cell-phone use while driving. People who are using a cell phone prior to being involved in an accident should automatically be found at fault for the accident.

people who think merge means slow and stop.

people who don't understand the right of way.

people who refuse to get into the right lane when they are going the speed limit or below.

people who don't understand flow of traffic.

people who don't know what a turn signal is.

people who assume their car is invincible and switch lanes without even a casual glance.

/me is a roadrager.

Wow, this could have been written by me. Except, you know, better.

add one more to my list

people who are cubs fans.