Anyone else feels invisible on the road?

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by daiheadjai

Scarborough is a dangerous place to drive

Sent from my SGH-I747M using Tapatalk

I hear you...lived in Scarborough for some time and every time I visit I just feel so much more anxious while driving around vs. elsewhere

[kavanagh]

Anyone here old enough to remember the comedian Gallagher? He did a bit about asshole drivers and how to deal with them:

Give everyone a suction cup dart gun
The darts have flags that hang off the dart and say things like 'asshole' 'jerk' 'idiot' or whatever
When you see someone driving stupid, you shoot their car with a dart and it sticks to their car
After their car gets a few darts stuck to it, the cops pull them over and give them a ticket for driving like a di(k

Best drivers ed solution ever.

[Churnobyl]

Healthy dose of paranoia, driver evaluation. (soccer mom, hanging over the seat yelling at kids? not gonna be close to her. Bro 'Merica in his 8" lifted F-250 with stacks, not gonna be in his shadow).

Exhaust+ a little dose of aggressive driving usually helps too. I'm not "hooning" per say, but I'm not invisible. Invisible cars get run into.

[kavanagh]

For the young'ns....



2:52 for the dart rules if you're impatient.

[ame]http://youtu.be/SKAUig7Du-4?t=1m16s[/ame]

[Namuna]

Problem #1: Anyone old enough and that can pass the written/driven exam (RIDICULOUSLY easy, compared to any/every other country) can get a license to drive in the USA.

Problem #2: IIRC, there's no mandatory re-testing for the elderly.

Problem #3: The masses are asses.

I drive like a zippy hermit...I don't want nothing and nobody around me and I love that we have a quick enough car that allows me to give myself that space. I also avoid at-all-costs having to drive in high-anxiety, high-traffic areas like NYC. That's just like throwing down the gauntlet and double-dog daring fate to mess with you.

[Ubersuber]

Having nearly been clipped three times in the first year of ownership I'd say the "average" driver may not be noticing our low slung cars. This is a much higher rate of not being noticed than with my other cars and the low profile is the only reason that seems to be the cause.

Most drivers do not set their door mirrors for best coverage, especially on the passenger side. Shoulder checks are not as effective as proper mirror alignment, especially if you are driving a tall vehicle.

SAE now recommends wider field of view adjustment for door mirrors as explained in this car & driver link (wish more people would use this and reduce the need for long shoulder check glances, using this method I hardly ever need to shoulder check at all, let alone every time I change lanes):
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...id-blind-spots
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Rear‐View...te-Blind-Spots

even wiki knows how now.

[BriRZed]

Originally Posted by Ammunition

I think it is a huge problem in this country (and others, I'm sure) that in this day and age, everyone is entitled to owning a driver's license. When you consider any other dynamic activity that requires some form of communication, anticipation, and respect - say Baseball for example, if you gather a group of 100 people well maybe 10 - 20 of them would be decent enough to be considered to play on the team. So why is driving any different? It's an even more dynamic activity that requires a great amount of skill and focus - the cost of which is death or serious injury to any number of people, property, and animals.

Holy f*ck, I hate people .

This. Though I'm sure my 16-year old self would say differently, the driver's test is a joke in the US, and people don't take driving seriously enough.

I heard about Finland's driving test on Top Gear, and I was a fan after watching that episode (more info here), and I remember a quote about Finland turning out the most F1 racers per capita than any other country...

[Poodles]

Dunno if it's the DRL's or the WRB paint, but I get far fewer people doing stupid crap than in the Miata...

[MGPAX]

I even mess with Miatas! (In my BRZ!) LOL

Originally Posted by Poodles

Dunno if it's the DRL's or the WRB paint, but I get far fewer people doing stupid crap than in the Miata...

[bdbx18]

BS on the drive eyes peeled and "give plenty of space" preachers. Yesterday, I was running early for dinner with friends on NB405 in LA so I drove slower than my usual speed. The white Jetta on my left decided to move into my spot, at first inching slightly then a full lane change within seconds. I slammed my brakes, honked during and after but I guess I am invisible. Good thing there isn't a car to my right even as I brake locked my tires and missed by a foot or less. When I drew aside her, the blonde girl looks terrified and mouthed out an apology and my anger fizzled out.

Regardless, the horn on the car is just lame. I need me some Bimmer sounding horns.

[drewbot]

Originally Posted by bdbx18

the blonde girl looks terrified and mouthed out an apology

[uEih]

Originally Posted by bdbx18

BS on the drive eyes peeled and "give plenty of space" preachers. Yesterday, I was running early for dinner with friends on NB405 in LA so I drove slower than my usual speed. The white Jetta on my left decided to move into my spot, at first inching slightly then a full lane change within seconds. I slammed my brakes, honked during and after but I guess I am invisible. Good thing there isn't a car to my right even as I brake locked my tires and missed by a foot or less. When I drew aside her, the blonde girl looks terrified and mouthed out an apology and my anger fizzled out.

Regardless, the horn on the car is just lame. I need me some Bimmer sounding horns.

This is essentially what happened with me but he switched lanes faster. Every time I honk the horn I get a little embarrassed at how weak it sounds, might have to upgrade that.