Hey buddy, You're an asshole, not a genius...

[Playinghardball]

[unblock]

1. haha! even better is when there are cars behind that one trying to go straight.

so that the one car is inconveniencing both lanes of traffic

[Pretzel_Warrior]

3. that's what I was going to say. people going straight and able to go normal speed

are held up by that dick squeezing in at the last minute.

Kind of like the Sunset Hwy inbound toward Portland when people heading to I-405 south pull that stunt ALL THE FUCKING TIME.

[MissB]

4. ...and despite being restriped several years ago....

I honk mightily at them if I'm heading toward downtown and they suddenly want over at the last minute to go to I-405.

I don't drive that way as much anymore. Didn't they out up bumps or something?

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. they have reduced how long the solid white lines extend up the Vista Ridge

but there is still a point BEFORE the tunnel where you're supposed to merge--not wait til the last few feet after the tunnel.

I always blare my horn when I see someoen in front of me doing it to make up for the extremely polite Oregonians who refuse to use their horns.

They resurfaced the road and it was a very smooth drive after that.

[MissB]

7. I wish the tunnel extended to where it splits three ways, if only to

make the honking more satisfying.

[Pretzel_Warrior]

9. lol

[lpbk2713]

2. I see this all too often at road construction sites.

Some a-hole will drive to the head of the line and sure enough some driver
will let him in front of himself and everyone else that knew to get in line.
Pisses me off.

[progressoid]

6. Or they ended up there because they were fucking with their phone instead of paying attention.

[raven mad]

80. +100

[Sarah Ibarruri]

8. Why do people do this sort of thing? Why don't they just keep moving and take a turn somewhere and

get in line? Do they want to make a lot of people upset?

[Pretzel_Warrior]

10. they're all opera singers

ME-ME-ME-ME-ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bandit]

11. Ha...I was going to say they are Republicans...me..me..me..me..me

[LiberalLovinLug]

39. Definately Republicans

Because waiting in line where everyone is expected to have their turn is SOCIALISM.

[Stonepounder]

70. Republican opera singers? n/t

[Sarah Ibarruri]

12. LOL! True. But I'll bet they don't feel cozy and comfy with the sort of looks people give them nt

[pangaia]

21. Hey ! Watch it bub!

I was married to an opera singer....
I was a vocal coach and a conductor...

[Pretzel_Warrior]

48. ehehheh. I am sure you are both lovely

just happen to be a very good foil in a joke about Me-ism. lol.

[freshwest]

96. Nah, in my state they usually have Ron Paul stickers. They're Libertarians. Meh! n/t

[sulphurdunn]

40. Because they're assholes

They couldn't care less how many people they upset because they're assholes. They would constitute a significant minority of the human race, if they were human, but they're not they're....assholes. The only way to save the world is to stop them from reproducing.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

49. LOL! Okay, you've explained it. ;-) nt

[valerief]

78. Right, and all you get out of assholes is shit. nt

[wcollar]

93. Only thing worse

Are the people who let them in. Time to quit rewarding bad behavior.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

102. :) Maybe it'd be better to just look away when they start the waving thing

asking to be let in.

[Octoberfurst]

100. I'll tell ya why--

It's because they are inconsiderate a--holes who think they are so clever and special. Wait in line like a commoner? Ha! It's the head of the line for me because someone will let me in! Frankly I can't stand people who do that.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

101. Me neither, but you know what? I honestly think some people just aren't too bright :)

I mean, isn't it better to drive defensively and avoid accidents? Cutting in and stopping all traffic in your lane is a sure-fire way to get hit or hit someone else.

[Bonx]

13. Get stuck there, accept it & go straight.

But I'll often take my chances on a big gap if there is also a light preceding the situation in that pic.
So many drivers are fussing with their phones at lights that only a few cars get through when twice as many should have.

[Boom Sound 416]

14. In New York we call that guy a

New Yorker

[BrotherIvan]

15. ...

[AtheistCrusader]

18. Well, I wish they'd stay in New York.

Sincerely - A Seattlite.

(This shit happens ALL the time getting out of west seattle where you split between I-5 north/south and Capitol Hill. )

[pangaia]

22. West Seattle...Isn't that.. water?

[TrollBuster9090]

26. No, it's Ballard. Not nearly as lively as water. nt

[ErikJ]

58. Ballard? West Seattle is south of there isnt it?

I think Ballard is just north of downtown and West Seattle is just south of downtown. Its a big semi-penninsula into the Sound. Beautiful beaches and sunsets with the ferries and Olympic Mountains on the horizon. .

[rustydog]

81. Doesn't matter where in Seattle, drivers are clueless here.

It's Seattle. If it rains in biblical fashion, drivers panic. park their cars on the freeway and walk. If it snows 1 freaking inch, the drivers park their cars on the freeway and WALK!

The illustration in the OP? Most Definitely Seattle! drive 90 miles an hour, 300 feet from intersection cut in front of the 3 mile-long procession and go on your merry way at 90 miles an hour! Unless it rains or snows, then you park and walk.

PS: I am not a Seattle-ite, I am a transplanted Central Washingtonian living on the East side!

[sulphurdunn]

97. If the sun shines

(and it does) you end up parked forever anyway with you engine running, waiting for the traffic to crawl along. That's the one time sane people should abandon their cars and walk, but if they do they end up in Harborview for a psychiatric evaluation. Go figure.

[yewberry]

53. Right there with you!

That I-5 north merge from West Seattle... just maddening! Just go up Columbian if you aren't in the correct lane, jerks!

[babylonsister]

19. Hahaha!

[Lucky Luciano]

20. Yeah, no kidding - that is standard procedure. You almost feel stupid not doing it.

Not doing it almost means you were not paying attention and you got stuck in the line.

[Boom Sound 416]

23. ^ truth

[srican69]

87. happens all the time at the GCP to Van Wyck enroute to JFK

... So much that I have decided to become an asshole myself the last couple times ..... as being an asshole is better than missing my flight....

you just have learn to ignore all the people honking away at you.

[Boom Sound 416]

88. Agreed. See post 20

[the_sly_pig]

16. I piss people off by letting late mergers in....

and keep a couple spaces open for people merging running up to the bottleneck. It keeps traffic flowing and then I'm not some sort of traffic regulator tool.

[hedgehog]

17. It'd be nice if we all switched to the zipper merge -

http://www.dot.state.mn.us/zippermerge/

[the_sly_pig]

24. fellow Minnesotan here.....

[hedgehog]

51. Actually, a New Yorker - but from Upstate near Lake Ontario -

yoou folks have my sympathy every winter -I'll take the snow over the cold any day!

[JDPriestly]

31. That can work if the exit signs can be seen by drivers before they get in the wrong lane and it is

too late to merge zipper-style.

In LA we have so much traffic at certain times of the day and at certain exits that we just let people merge in. At least some of us do. The important thing is not to be right but to make sure everyone can get where they are going safely.

Hey! If you are a parent, you live through the nightmare of the years when your children are on the road, on the freeways in LA, not experienced drivers and you are sitting home praying and staying up until the get home. Once you have gone through that, you become a truly mature, thoughtful driver. Nothing like children to teach us the important lessons of life like letting people cut in on the freeway because that lost and mistaken person trying to cut in could be your child or maybe your parent.

[hughee99]

45. I had an issue the other day, with the lanes not being marked on signs.

I try not to be "that asshole" in general, but there were no signs above indicating that one lane was turn only and the other was straight only. The only way one would know is to read the giant arrow on the pavement, but a fat lot of good that does you in traffic where other cars are covering the pavement. In my case, I wanted to go straight when I was in the "turn only" lane, and when the green turn arrow lit up, people were pissed. I got my share of honks (and I don't really blame them), but someone in the other lane was nice enough to let me move over so they could get by.

[hedgehog]

50. I agree with your complaint - around here the arrows get worn

off and/or covered with snow - that does a lot of good on a dark night!

[JDPriestly]

55. When you merge from a connecting road to the freeway lanes on some of LA's freeways,

Last edited Wed Feb 19, 2014, 12:47 PM - Edit history (1)

you have to nose or nudge in. You wait until some driver has mercy or until a small space opens up and then you either move in or you wait for a long, long time. You have to pay attention, but at some merge points, there is no way you can avoid nosing into a small space unless you are lucky and meet up with a driver who understands the score.

There is no point in being angry on the road. It is dangerous and doesn't get you anyplace any faster.

[2naSalit]

43. That only works

when all or most of the drivers aren't selfish assholes who are so special (in their minds) that everyone else has to wait while they serve their entitled selves to special treatment, like being first in line.

Otherwise it's a nice idea.

[laundry_queen]

56. Yep.

There's one area like this on my way home...everyone knows the right lane ends right after the lights, but during rush hour, they figure they can blow by everyone and then try to squeeze in right before the lane ends. I never let them in. It's different in other areas where people might not be familiar with the street or whatever, or where there's sudden construction (or lately, snow clearing shutting down lanes) in those cases, I let people in no problem - but in my area, the only people on that road are those that live in my suburb and are trying to get home faster than everyone else. So I don't let them in. Why enable asshole-ish behavior? Letting them in says, "okay, dude, we'll let you cut in line because you're special." Um, no. Maybe if they get stuck waiting to get in, they won't be so quick to cut everyone off next time.

[bullsnarfle]

84. Exactly!

I see the same kind of assholes on my rush hour ride all the time. I consider it a "teachable moment" to slam the door on them, so maybe when they get hung-out-to-dry (NASCAR term, haha) enough times they will come to realize that everything goes so much smoother for everyone when you just GET IN LINE and not be a jackass.

Another little trick these goobers pull all the time is to get in the unoccupied turn lane rather than in the straight lane...hoping to scratch off and get around the straight cars when the light changes. Huh. Right. I got these damn lights timed down to a fare-the-well after all these years, and I am already moving the second it changes; I love watching them cussing a blue streak in my rear view as they get stuck over in the turn lane with a bunch of peed-off drivers blaring their horns at 'em.

[Beartracks]

46. But zipper merge requires drivers to cooperate!

That's kinda tough when everyone thinks their commute and their time are More Important than everyone else's...

==================

[JDPriestly]

29. Me too, but then I'm in Los Angeles. We drive freeways pretty much to go anywhere so we all

know what it feels like to miss an exit or make a mistake. It's not that big a deal to let someone in. So what if they are cheating a bit. The important thing is that everyone gets where they are going safely. If there is an accident at that stop because a car trying to go straight rear-ends the car on the left and pushes the car on the left into the line of traffic on the right, EVERY DRIVER ON THE ROAD BEHIND THE CRASH HAS TO STOP AND WAIT UNTIL THE ACCIDENT IS CLEARED.

Kindness and courtesy even to people who you think are cutting in pays off in terms of less time spent on the freeway.

Los Angeles drivers know that avoiding an accident is more important than being the winner in a confrontation on the freeway. Just doesn't pay to see freeway driving as a sport to be won. It is a cooperative effort to get everyone where they are going as safely and efficiently as possible.

I often think how competitive we are in our personal lives sometimes (well in the line of work I was in and that may go for everyone) and how well we cooperate and get things done on the freeways. LA freeways would be very confusing to people who don't understand how the system works. But then we rarely only have two lanes to choose from on the freeway. That is more likely to be the situation on four-lane side-streets. But still, patience is how we move through LA safely.

[mainer]

85. I'm with you. Rather let an asshole win every so often

if it means making life easier for the poor lost schmuck who didn't know his exit was coming up.

[Politicalboi]

30. So you're the one

Are also the one who drives 65 in the fast lane with no traffic in front of you, but a line a traffic behind you?

[the_sly_pig]

77. I suppose there are different...

traffic rules for different geographical locations. We have 'parade makers' in Minny, but I'm not one of them.

[Blue_Tires]

32. If I'm in a charitible mood I'll let ONE in...

But I'm waiting a long while they're just SOL...I do feel sympathy for those drivers who are victims of circumstance (accident, poorly marked construction zone), but the folks who know better and are just trying to game the situation like in the OP? Fuck 'em....

I used to be big on always leaving a car length open until I lived in D.C. and New England for a few years...Up there one car length of space means FIVE cars and a semi think it's an invitation to wedge in...

[DeadLetterOffice]

38. OMG yes.

I live outside of Albany, NY, and I cannot BELIEVE how people drive the interstates here. Leaving a car length is just an invitation for people to pull in front of you and then slow down.

[tallahasseedem]

47. LOL!

I was thinking the same thing! I used to be generous when I lived in Florida but after moving to Philly and dealing with a long daily commute…totally different!

[rustydog]

82. I feel sorry for the vacationer or the recently-moved

I was new to the Seattle area in 2005. Then, we lived 15 miles above Kirkland (East of Seattle) and the first night I went home from work I missed my exit which would have been a quick 20 minute commute and was forced to go up 405 to Everett, East to Lake Stevens then South home. After that, I made sure I was in the lane I wanted as soon a possible.

God I hate Seattle traffic!

[jsr]

89. Seattle cops used to issue citations for lane jumping

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2002192177_lanecheaters28m.html

Seattle Police officers Lyndell Jones and Jeff Rodgers carry out a unique mission: They're the only cops in the state who can bust drivers for simply cutting in line.

The pair stand near a freeway ramp from the West Seattle Bridge corridor to northbound Interstate 5, where commuters in the one-mile queue resent the minority who nose in front just before the ramp.

Seattle officers say they've issued between 500 and 1,000 tickets there for disobeying road signs, a $101 infraction. Capt. Jim Pryor, of the department's Southwest Precinct, said he considers the enforcement a preventive measure against road rage.

Two national experts said they're aware of no other location in the U.S. where police issue citations for lane jumping.

[Curmudgeoness]

42. So that is YOU!

Yep, you piss people off. I try to be generous on the road, but not with these types. I used to have a beater car that I just loved, because when that person tried to merge in front of me, and I inched up to keep him from doing it, they would back off from trying to intimidate me into allowing them in. It looked too much like I wanted them to hit me.

[Logical]

54. And rewards thier behavior. But makes you feel special! nt

[laundry_queen]

57. Yes, an enabler. Not a fan of enablers over here. nt

[the_sly_pig]

76. I don't feel special and I'm not an enabler.

I just let folk merge so traffic doesn't have to stop on a freeway or interstate. Very simple concept really.....

[laundry_queen]

91. No it's not simple

In my commute, everyone on the road is going to the same suburb, the right late ends after the lights...everyone knows this but there's always some asshole who flies to the front in the right lane to try to blow by everyone at the lights and then squeeze in. Um, no. And I get pissed at those who let that asshole in because YES they are enabling assholeish behavior and slowing down the LEFT lane. If it wasn't for the assholes trying to get ahead in the right lane, there would be NO slowing of traffic. People like YOU are the problem on MY commute.

[the_sly_pig]

92. My friend...

Love is better than anger, hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair, so let us be loving, hopeful and optimistic. And we'll change the world.

How 'bout we start with traffic.

[laundry_queen]

95. Nice turn around but it's a miss.

That is not me at all. I have that sig line as a reminder because I'm not very zen at all. But I'm not obligated to enable people to be assholes. The person who wrote that quote admitted himself he was often sour and cross about the state of the world. I don't take kindly to people who are assholes on the road, and I don't take kindly to sanctimonious people who try to shame me.

[the_sly_pig]

103. blah blah blah...

You are obviously a paradox, wrapped in mystery, surrounded by conundrum. But admittedly, you appear very familiar with 'sanctimonious'.

[B Calm]

60. You are not helping traffic flow by doing this. It just encourages more

people to ignore road signs and do the same. That's why you'll see big trucks blocking both lanes before the bottleneck. They know if people would read signs and get in the correct lane, there wouldn't be a back up, but just a slow down.

[the_sly_pig]

63. I wonder if there are any slowdowns...

When there is not a construction issue or bottleneck? I think there are. I think I've been in lousy, slow traffic when there are no bottlenecks or construction. Weird.

[Le Taz Hot]

61. Actually, it doesn't keep the traffic flowing.

You have to STOP to let someone in. That means everybody behind you has to stop so you can be nice to the asshole. In other words, you've become a "traffic regulator tool."

[the_sly_pig]

62. No. I rarely stop on the freeway.

But I have seen 'traffic regulator tools' take up two lanes preventing others from zippering. Its unfortunate you can't comprehend the concept. But I'm fine with that, I'd still let you in.....

[Le Taz Hot]

64. LOL

"Can't comprehend the concept. . ."
How cute. Oh that we all could have your uber intelligence.

[LannyDeVaney]

66. Here in Alabama ...

people do this, but the rule is pretty simple.

If they are an Alabama fan I don't let them in, and point out their folly with my finger. If they are sporting Auburn colors, I let them in with a grin and a wave.

[JDPriestly]

25. Depends on where you live.

In Los Angeles, people cut in all the time. That is because a lot of people who haven't driven at a particular freeway exit cannot read the exit sign for various reasons such as that the sun is glaring in their eyes, that the sign is difficult to read or understand, that the sign is not well placed. There are many reasons why people get stuck in a wrong lane in Los Angeles. We have a lot of freeways, and they are very crowded. Sooner or later, some understanding soul (I do it frequently) lets a lost car in so that that car too can get on its way.

In the picture above, it is important for the drivers on the right to let the lost car on the left in because if they don't, then the traffic will back up behind the driver on the left.

Hey! In LA we cut each other a little slack on the freeway because you never know when you might be the driver of the car on the left, lost and having found your way too late to get into the write lane, needing to cut in.

Patient drivers have fewer accidents. The driver on the right was not necessarily impatient. Not in LA. And he will sit there a while before someone has compassion for him, so the practice of letting people cut in is not so rewarding for the person trying to cut in that it is encouraged.

[abelenkpe]

34. The picture is backwards

in LA. At least on surface streets. The people moving freely would be in the right lane and those stuck would be in the left. But yeah, better to let people in and and chill.

[JDPriestly]

35. Yes. Chill is the best word for what you have to do on the freeway if you want to move as

quickly and smoothly as possible.

[LibDemAlways]

36. I have been driving in LA since 1968 and I

have found it's very rare for drivers here to willingly cut others any slack. Generally if I find myself in the wrong lane and can't easily make an offramp, I just go up to the next one and double back.

Most drivers are very unwilling to give an inch. I've see more than one fender bender caused by someone who absolutely would not yield to another car. It's a jungle out there.

[JDPriestly]

37. My husband and I let people in, and they let us in.

My husband says there is a trick to getting people to let you in. But of course you won't get in right away. You have to be patient so the technique should only be used when necessary.

You edge your way into the lane you want to get into very slowly until you slightly cross the dividing line of dashes. Usually safe drivers leave a space between their car and the one in front of them. Thus, you can make it clear that you need to cut in but that you are not being unsafe about it. Usually between the third and fifth driver, someone will let you in. Not a situation you want to be in on purpose.

You can go to the next exit if you know your way around. But in LA you cannot rely on the next exit being very close or the idea that you will be able to double back. A lot of exits are on only one side, and you can get very lost if you don't get out at the right exit.

[TrollBuster9090]

28. That rarely happens to me. WHat happens more often is there is a side street, before the main right

turn street that I'm trying to get to, and some genius will see that there are no cars parked beside the road, drive down the empty parking lane, and attempt to hit me when I try to turn into the same side street. Passing on the right....just brilliant.

[The Wizard]

33. If you're in the right lane

and can see someone sneaking up in the left turn lane preparing to encroach on normal people, hug the left side of the lane. It makes cutting in from the left more difficult and impossible if you're very close to the car in front of you.

[sulphurdunn]

41. Becasue of assholes like that,

I felt compelled to outfit my car with nuclear tipped road rockets.

[Beartracks]

44. Might as well caption this image...

"Meanwhile in Oklahoma."

===========================

[7wo7rees]

52. We know this guy!

Worked with the guy! He said this is the way you get ahead in life! "I don't wait in line!" My wife confronted him at work and he kicked her out of his training class.

[Notafraidtoo]

59. Not everyone is going to agree with me on this but..

I think its rude to let one person go by slowing down traffic when you have a lot of people behind you, If i am the only one in the lane or there is a red light then i will let someone go. If the light is green and there is 20 people behind me and its rush hour traffic i feel like i am rude to the 20 people behind me by letting one person go.

[NuclearDem]

65. That one picture perfectly describes I-69 around the Indy suburbs

[B Calm]

67. It also describes I-65 exiting onto I-94/80 west!

[Z_California]

68. I was just thinking about this the other day

I bet 80% of the people who do this identify as Republicans. Whenever I see someone acting in a courteous or cooperative way in traffic I think "thank goodness for liberals". Some people want society to work better and others just want theirs.

[saidsimplesimon]

69. Pet peeves, I get it. Worse yet

they know I'm the tolerant one who will allow them to get ahead of the line. It's rude behaviour. I wish state governments could afford to fund driver's education in high school. I'm not sure why some parents aren't participating in demonstrating safe driving practices, and courtesy.

[Stonepounder]

71. I agree that most of them are at the very least idiots.

However, my wife and I have discussed this at great length. Both of us are people who can't not read. If we see printed word, we read it. Street signs, traffic signs, billboards, backs of cereal boxes, etc. It is so automatic as to be unconscious. So, when I am driving, I am aware of 'merge' or 'lane closed ahead' signs. I know when my exit is coming up and whether it is a right exit or a left exit.

However, I have become aware that not all people are like that. I have talked to people who sounded surprised that there was actual information on those big green signs hung over freeways. Of course these are the same people who have absolutely no books or magazines in their homes and never read anything except Facebook posts. When I was in the 5th grade we were told to pick a book from the library, read it, and do a book report on it. I chose Uncle Tom's Cabin. My granddaughter, who is also in the 5th grade, reads only when it is assigned and even then, when told to read 15 minutes each night, is trying to quit after less than 5 minutes.

So some of these netwit drivers get all the way up to the head of the line before figuring out that, duh, we need to be in the other lane. Not really an excuse, but a possible explanation. (For a few. The rest are just me-me-me jerks!)

[MineralMan]

72. Hard to tell from the diagram, really.

I try to know where I should be, and in what lane. That works great on roads and highways I travel frequently. I get in the lane I need to be in and stick with it. But, in unfamiliar places, that's not always possible. If there is good signage, it makes things a lot easier. But sometimes there isn't good signage. I've found myself in that driver's situation more than once, and have been grateful when someone lets me in. If they don't, or if there's too much traffic, I just continue on and backtrack. But that's not always possible, either.

If I'm the driver of the third car back in that right lane, I'm going to let that other car in. It might be me some other time who needs to make the move. The driver in the left lane might be an asshole, or he might just be driving a rental car and lives somewhere else. I'll give the benefit of the doubt and let that car merge in.

[mainer]

73. Well, to defend the asshole...

sometimes a driver in an unfamiliar area has no idea his turn is coming up and suddenly finds he's in the wrong lane. If it's a highway, it may be the one place he can get off. So I'd try to give him the benefit of the doubt.

[valerief]

79. Nope. Go straight and pull over where you can and figure out how to retrace steps correctly.

That's what GOOD drivers do.

[raouldukelives]

74. People are strange.

I live near a large Catholic Church. Very cordial people when met on foot, vastly different people behind the wheel. People showing up late for Mass blasting down quiet neighborhoods, the mad scramble to exit the parking lots and the numerous times I was cut off, tailgated and given nasty looks for doing the speed limit.
Perhaps Francis could speak a little on being a good neighbor as it applies to driving.
Or as I'm fond of yelling at them. "If you can't live like a Christian, at least try to drive like one!"

[mikeysnot]

75. My wife and I call them "Johnny Come lately"

I see this all the time in Chicago. Going nowhere fast.

[raven mad]

83. Dumbass. Oh well.

He should try that in some Alaskan traffic.

[Javaman]

86. and here I thought you were talking about ayn rand paul.

actually, I can see him doing something like this.

[PowerToThePeople]

90. Me

[mainer]

94. Wow, the level of rage and "screw 'em" is amazing on this thread

Up in Maine, we have a large number of older drivers (we're one of the oldest states in the country) and some of these drivers just don't react quickly enough or change lanes quickly enough, especially at night. If I were to treat all such drivers as assholes, I'd be sticking it to a lot of grannies. What's wrong with a little tolerance?

[Beacool]

98. I see that kind of maneuver all the time on highways.

Particularly when there's a lane closure due to construction or an accident.

[LondonReign2]

99. This is SOP in Texas

and it pisses me off mightily. Seems always to be a BMW or Lexus driver too