Don't be "that guy"...

[Cades]

One thing that drives me insane is people who wait until the last second to get over to exit (from the middle lane).


Even worse than that is when there is stop/slow traffic in the right lane because of on-ramp traffic + exiting traffic (plus shitty time of the day out of work traffic).


The assholes that try to bypass that traffic by going by in the left/middle lanes and wait till at the last possible second to move over to the right lane exit + mergers trying to get onto the highway.


Which usually means cutting somebody off, slowing down/stop traffic in the other lanes and generally looking like a giant douche.

[MokSpeed]

#3 and #9. So frustrating...

[DarkSunrise]

My peeve is when people don't accelerate on the on-ramp to a highway. For example, the speed limit on the highway is 55 mph (meaning everyone is flowing 65-70 mph), and without fail, there's some idiot holding a constant 40 mph down the merge-ramp with a bunch of cars lined up behind him.

He's basically single-handedly creating a train of cars, all trying to merge on the highway at 40 mph at the same time at the same spot.

[daiheadjai]

I had someone stop in the next lane over because a school bus flashed it's hazards at a railroad crossing.

In Toronto, a police car which has pulled over a speeder will cause a traffic jam.... in the opposite/oncoming side.

My wife tells me I should relax, that I should smile more....
Why so serious?

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by Jegan_V

Let's see...I don't do any of those.

However I get screwed over by a lot of people doing most of these.

#3, that pic is being generous if that's the worst they've seen. I've had douches hold me up in the center lane because they wanted to make a left turn the moment they got to the intersection line.

#5 is a rather common sight in my daily commute. It usually means I failed to make it through a intersection, if the person was driving normally we both would've passed through.

#6 is why Toronto's traffic becomes horrible for no reason.

#7 is a daily occurrence...most drivers here are too stupid to understand high beam flashes making it ineffective. I usually pass on the right as a result.

#8 is the bane of my daily commute. Highway speeds are 100 km/h, almost every day I'm caught behind a moron forcing me to merge at 60.

#9, I wish this worked the way it was supposed to, but Toronto drivers manage to make a hash out of this. When road works are the reason for a lane closure, its those who have to merge who go straight to the end, slow significantly down and hold up the open lane. When its not road works and simply a design of the road, its more of a bitter fight with people who can't wait to jump the line versus people who sat long enough and will not let anyone in. I'm generous to a degree, if someone is actively trying to merge I'll let them in...someone who could've merged sooner but decidedly wanted to skip line I do my best to ensure they fail.

#10, not everyone has a box. This can be modified to blocking the intersection, I've seen that far more and its far worse than the box. The people blocking seem oblivious as to why they're suddenly hated.

It feels like Toronto drivers are the worst offenders - my friends and I marvel at the American habit of keeping to the right lane when we visit the States (or less inhabited areas of Southern Ontario)

[Jegan_V]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

It feels like Toronto drivers are the worst offenders - my friends and I marvel at the American habit of keeping to the right lane when we visit the States (or less inhabited areas of Southern Ontario)

A lot of the bad driving may not actually be a Toronto thing. I hear lots of stories about this place has terrible drivers, then someone else saying some other place is even worse. The only thing that's consistent with Toronto though...the drivers here are too slow.

[sprintertrueno86]

These problems are gettin worse every year. It wasn't even that bad when I started driving 10yrs ago. I blame it on people using smartphones, fiddling with touchscreens and nav systems instead of focusing on driving.

I really believe they should make you take a mandatory online course every time you renew your license.

[Giccin]

People who pull this shit on me when I'm on my way home on the 91.

"OH LOOK. THE LANE IS ABOUT TO END. TIME TO SQUEEZE MYSELF INTO HEAVY BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC GAIZ"

[Cades]

Originally Posted by Giccin

People who pull this shit on me when I'm on my way home on the 91.

"OH LOOK. THE LANE IS ABOUT TO END. TIME TO SQUEEZE MYSELF INTO HEAVY BUMPER TO BUMPER TRAFFIC GAIZ"

lol I hate that too, I just assume these people don't see the giant 140000000 exit only signs along the way

[SirBrass]

Originally Posted by sprintertrueno86

These problems are gettin worse every year. It wasn't even that bad when I started driving 10yrs ago. I blame it on people using smartphones, fiddling with touchscreens and nav systems instead of focusing on driving.

I really believe they should make you take a mandatory online course every time you renew your license.

Forget that. People can blow through those. Make it hurt if they screw up instead. Make it a pull-over-able civil moving violation w/ a mandatory (paid by you) defensive driving class... Or ticket & points on your license (or class, tickets, and points if you are not currently otherwise eligible to get the ticket waived by going to the class).

None of this special "hands free" crap. If a cop observes you actively driving distracted, you get pulled over. If you're obviously in control & paying attention but using a phone... No problem. Go after distracted, zoned out drivers, not a single means by which they get distracted.

People will shape up if they fear a ticket (they already know better & don't care, so including it on license renewal won't help... They'll answer correctly & hypocritically still drive distracted b/c they don't care) & points & an expensive boring class that they have to miss a paying day of work to attend. The only problem will be training the cops to spot distracted drivers & separate them from someone who is not zoned out/distracted.

On phone I am. Therefore, if mistakes I make, Frank Oz blame you should.

[sprintertrueno86]

^^^This

Especially the ones who are going below or at speed limit but drifts into your lane and never signals because they're busy texting.

+ever since more and more cars have auto on/off headlights, I see a ton of people not even turning on headlights when it's dark out thinking they have that feature on but it's actually off. Pull them over.

Unfortunately I am the one being targeted for going above speed limit to pass these clusterfck of zoned out drivers on the highway.

[SirBrass]

Distracted driving includes driving tired, btw. Though whether a person just gets a warning or not on any distracted driving reason (as-in, that's why he pulled you over) should be left to the cop on whether to issue a citation or warning.

The first time I was ever pulled over, it was b/c I was driving tired (just trying to get home on a traffic-less 4-lane unlit VA highway, and couldn't stay awake due to the hypnotic nature of that road which just kept going and going). The cop pulled me over when I almost went off a bridge (I think the rumble strips jerked me back enough to get me back into the lane). I was 18, first ever official adversarial encounter with the law, and I think (looking back) that the cop realized I was just tired, not drunk, but decided to scare me awake.... full field sobriety test all the way to breathalizer (which I blew a 0.00 on). Oh I was awake after that. He only gave me a warning. Good cop.

Driving with your head poking into the back while you try and get junior to settle down... also no bueno. The kid may be driving you absolutely NUTS, but do you want to put him, you, and a half a dozen or more other people in deadly danger by trying to both drive in one direction safely and deal with junior with one arm while looking the exact opposite direction of movement? At least you'll see the blue lights directly when the cop turns them on... he may have just saved your life if he does that...

Changing lanes without a signal while talking on the phone and not showing signs of checking mirrors? You're probably oblivious to the cars around you for whatever reason. Distracted driving. Blue lights.

I'm all for a more stringent motor vehicle operator's license course in the US (up to each individual state, as it should be... with one or more getting into it and showing their reduced accident and fatalities, other states will have positive peer pressure to get their acts together too) that actually teaches good driving skills and habits, not just some wrote course. Something like a cross between traditional driver's ed driving course and a performance driving school. Teach people how to really drive (not just direct and "operate") a car. Our CDL holders have to go through more just to be able to drive, and our pilots do too, and for good reason. I'm not for a bunch more federal or even state regulation... they tend to not help and usually gum up the works of the parts which do work, but I AM for upping the standards already in place and actually getting people taught, not just taxing people for more funds for a program which will only do something which looks like they're doing something while actually doing nothing.

So, leave it up to the private sector. The actual driving schools... give them incentive to offer comprehensive adult driver's ed: and I mean driver's ed, not motor vehicle operator 101 (here is the ignition switch, here's how you shift, etc), but "here's how to judge braking distance", and "if you find your car's rear end kicking out, here's how to recover depending on what kind of drivetrain your car has", "here's how transmission gear ratios can affect your acceleration and fuel efficiency", "here's how you can maneuver and emergency brake at the same time", "here's what to look for in driving behavior of others while you are actively scanning the roadway while driving", "this is how you maintain control without spinning out if you lose your brake pedal control and must use the hand brake", "how weight in your trunk affects your handling", and "here's how to conduct regular basic maintenance such as checking your brake pads, changing your oil, and replacing coolant/burping your coolant system", and "here's how to use an obdII scan tool to help check on and diagnose any problems with your car before you go to the dealership". You know, things we enthusiasts consider basic common sense, but that most "drivers" don't even know that they don't know or that they even need to know.

[Shagaliscious]

I always flash my lights when passing big rigs on the highway. My mom taught me that when I first started driving. When I was in college I always drove there at night, and since it was Route 80 there were tons of trucks. Even they flashed their lights when passing each other. I don't bother with other drivers anymore though, they are all stupid and think you are just being an asshole.

I will say that I leave more space between me and the car in front of me while stopped than most, but I definitely don't leave a car length of space. Also depends on the situation. If there is a lot of traffic, I definitely get closer.

[daiheadjai]

Originally Posted by sprintertrueno86

These problems are gettin worse every year. It wasn't even that bad when I started driving 10yrs ago. I blame it on people using smartphones, fiddling with touchscreens and nav systems instead of focusing on driving.

I really believe they should make you take a mandatory online course every time you renew your license.

Most of the time, the ones texting or calling while driving are in 6,000lb SUV/land-yachts.
Safety first, right?

Honestly, I don't like touchscreens at all - I think that (particularly in a sports car with stiffer suspension) most of the controls should be handled with hard buttons (i.e. try changing the BRZ's radio settings while driving on a bumpy road - even a straight one).