Community Chat

[sidsmom]

Traffic PSA

If you're driving in light traffic, on a major tollway/highway, especially at night

Do Not Drive in the left hand lane.

Reason:

Wrong way drivers who somehow/someway enter a major roadway

will ALWAYS drive in 'their' right hand lane.

This translates to MY left hand lane. 

And it never ends well.

[Jacie]

Lack of turn signal use and people who don't know the definitions of "Yield" and "Merge"!

[Laura14]

People turning right who think they don't have to stop and wait their turn to make that right at a four way stop.

If you don't know the rules of who goes when at a stop sign, please avoid it and let those of us who do know what we are doing get to where we are going safely.

[beckyb1012]

Here in Texas a several decades back we started being allowed to turn right on red if no thru traffic was coming.  I have been doing this for so long now it just does not register with me that visitors may not do it in their own state.  So when a car with California plates in front of me did not turn but just sat with the blinker going and no cars coming through I just wanted to scream.  Thank goodness I noticed the plates before I started honking, screaming or acting a fool. 

I do really get peeved when folks just dink along (under speed limit) and then when you try to pass them you would think they are now a race car driver.  Some just do not want to be passed.

[CrazyDaisy]

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@beach-mom wrote:

Here are two of mine:

I pulled up beside someone in the left turn lane; I was the second car. The woman was paying attention to something else in the car. When the left turn arrow came on she sat there. I was getting ready to give her a little honk,then she realized she had the arrow. SHE got through but it turned off for me! I had to wait until it cycled through again.

Going south on an expressway, the right hand lane is closed for construction and traffic has to merge into the center and left lanes. MOST of us try to do this soon after we notice the sign. Then I sit in stop and go traffic without moving much. The reason I'm not moving is because people 1/2 mile back race up the right hand lane, then at the last minute have to merge. This holds the rest of us, who have patiently waited, up! 

And don't get me started on people who leave their grocery carts in their former space in a crowded parking lot! 

What are yours?

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As I learned....the proper way to merge for closed lanes.  Rarely see this in morning rush hour.

The "zipper flow" is counterintuitive. It's created by proper late-merging at the last minute. It's destroyed by early merging. For this reason, the Fed Highway Admin has specific recommendations for proper driver behavior. They (and the various state highway groups) also have found the best road signage for smoothing the flow: "STAY IN LANE UNTIL MERGE POINT." Then at the last minute, another sign: "MERGE HERE, TAKE TURNS." Early merging ruins everything. Any drivers who encourage early merging, but who tailgate to punish late merging, they've fallen for faulty reasoning. The situation is counterintuitive. The ideal behavior is the exact opposite of drivers' early-merge and "cheater-punisher" beliefs: keep everyone in their lanes, no early merging allowed. No empty lanes, so 'cheating' is stopped. Then take turns merging *only* at the last minute. Anything else is a recipe for hot-headed tailgaters and jam-triggers.

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[Posh Poodle]

My poodles and I walk a lot in our neighborhood, which there are not a whole lot of houses due to lots being about 5-6 acres. However, there are a couple of drivers (or their visitors) who don't seem to know that the speed limit in a residential area is 25. I told my husband if me and the poodles get run over to sue them into poverty.

[Ibby114]

The obvious ones are tailgaters- and people texting or talking on their cell phones. 

I'll probably get slammed for this- but my real pet peeve is having pet peeves while driivng! The reality is 90% of the people on the road will do something stupid and  you  need to 'watch out for the other guy' with that fact in mind. All these pet peeves (and I can almost 'hear' the frustration/aggravation in some of these posts) lead to various levels of  road rage. So people cut you off, don't merge properly- and yield &/or stop for yellow lights  (which is the law btw). Why wave to someone who did something stupid on the road after you pass them ? You have no idea  what horrific situation that can erupt to... if you get super frustrated by aggressive drivers - or just plain bad drivers! -  imho it  might be a good idea to  stay off the road!

[YorkieonmyPillow]

  I don't really have any pet peeves about driving. Aftr driving this many years, I know I will be dealing with all of the above.

  That's just what you have to deal with if you drive.

  I am a very defensive driver! Sometimes when I pull up behind a car at a stop light, I leave a car's length and keep an eye on the vehicle coming up behind me, so I have room to go forward if they try running into me!

  Expect the unexpected is my motto...

[VAbelle]

Using their Keyfob when 'locking and unlocking' the car ... and the horn HONKS loudly.

Please people, have it set on "chirp" or "light-blinking .... as I walk thru parking lots and your horn "goes off" when I am beside it .... I need to change my diaper afterwards!

[Laura14]

@VAbelle  No such option for mine.   I hate that it honks when I lock and unlock it but it's just part of the system Fiat designed.   I do normally check and see if anyone is around my car though before I push the button out of common courtesy.