What I'd Like To Say To Other Drivers

[Bertha Venation]

Excuse me. Do you have to shear my bumper off? Do you have to pass me like this? For what reason? What have I done to you? Ah, yes: I've committed the Sin of Keeping a Safe Following Distance. Never mind that I'm doing the exact same speed as the guy in front of me, 75 in a 55, like everyone else. I'm trying to avoid ramming the guy in front of me in case he has to stop, and you think I'm 94 years old in the fast lane. Well, get over yourself. Safe following distance /= a slot for you to squeeze into.

And . . . heh, hello there, you're right next to me at the red light. Got there a lot faster, didn't you, asshole?

And you: yeah, you, shining your brights in my mirror. I'd apologize for not gunning it at the green like you do, but I don't have to apologize. I cherish my 35 MPG. It saves me money, and I still wind up going the same crazy speed as everyone else. I wonder what your gas mileage is, and I smirk to myself, knowing it sucks. Go on then, tailgate someone else. That's right. Enjoy yourself.

And . . . heh, hello there, there you are, right next to me at the next red light. Got there a lot faster, didn't you, asshole? :rofl:

What are YOUR other-driver pet peeves?

[BarenakedLady]

1. I don't let myself get upset anymore.

I used to get so worked up that I could literally wish perfect strangers would die in a fire because they cut me off or whatever...

I didn't like that feeling.

Not to say I don't feel a twinge of ire when someone is riding my ass for not speeding. I just calmly slow down to a crawl or slam on my brakes...KIDDING! :P I wave cheerily when they eventually pass me. :D

[jobycom]

3. I feel like that frequently.

Only I enjoy picturing them dying in a flaming crash!

[redqueen]

4. Hahahah... I catch myself doing that lately...

what gets me is inconsiderate drivers. The ones who drive under the speed limit till they get to the yellow light, then gun it through and leave you behind to sit through the red they should be waiting through with you. UGH!

Or big trucks sitting in left turn lanes at red lights... why do they always pull way up to the far side of the crosswalk? They're not only blocking the pedestrians' right-of-way, they're also blocking the view for anyone hoping to make a right on red. SO inconsiderate...

Lately I catch myself thinking things like DIAF! and then immediately think to myself oh no, you don't mean that, that's horrible.

[jobycom]

2. Around here, people drive below the speed limit for no reason.

There's a major highway where I live with a 65 mph speed limit, and you can't get people to break 45. They get side-by-side, too, and tie you up so that you catch each light. No reason--they can have no one in front of them at all. Not just now and then, but continually, all day, every day. It's like there's a stupid ray hitting people out here.

And I hate it when people stop two or three car lengths behind the next person at a light, and stretch the line of traffic back three times what it should be. Yes, you should stop a car length behind the person in front of you, but then you pull up behind them so others can fit in. Especially when there's a right-turn lane that people behind you making a right turn could use if you just pulled up to where you were supposed to.

And of course I hate people who shoot up the left lane until just before the traffic light, then break into the right lane to make a turn, cutting in front of everyone who had the brains to get into the right lane when they were supposed to.

Basically, I hate everyone who doesn't drive as perfectly as me.

[Bertha Venation]

6. "Basically, I hate everyone who doesn't drive as perfectly as me."

Yup, that's me. There you have it in a nutshell. ;)

[jobycom]

8. My nine year old daughter lectured me the other day.

I was grumbling about someone, and she said "Dad, you aren't the only one on the road who can drive, you know."

I was so proud of her I forgot to be mad at everyone for a while. :rofl:

[rcrush]

Do you live in San Antonio?

Cause you just described how all the old hicks drive around here. Speed Limit is fucking 70 on i10 but fucking people have to putter along going 50 when no one is in front of them!

[jobycom]

11. Hehe. Austin.

It's a weird combo of hicks and yuppies, rednecks and hippies, old farmers and young students. It's a freaking mess. Only I am perfect.

[rcrush]

13. OMG no way cause I'm the only perfect diver in SA!

I cant drive anymore unless I've just smoked a joint or else I will rage all over the highway.

[Flaxbee]

17. oooh, the people who drive side-by-side each other,

no matter how fast they are going, drive me CRAZY! Slow is bad, but even if they're keeping to a good speed, I don't like being blockaded by drivers who have their heads up their asses b/c they're can't bother to pay attention to other drivers.

And the other stuff bertha mentioned - the dangerous drivers who cut in too close and think that you're keeping that space b/w you and the driver in front of you open for their convenience. Asshats.

I don't let myself get mad any more over people who are just stupid (or I try not to). But people who drive dangerously - the cutting too close, swerving all over to get there a second faster than you do, etc., really piss me off. Complete disregard for the safety of others makes me :grr:

[kentauros]

21. The driving-too-close part bothers me because it's so unsafe for everyone!

I've also been honked at in literal stop-n-go traffic because I keep a space in front of me several car-lengths long. I like it that way so I don't have to brake so much and can adjust my speed with the accelerator pedal according to what the jammed-up traffic is doing ahead of me. I simply don't understand the mindset that says you have to rush in traffic that's at a crawl

I think what bothers me the most is the total lack of courtesy anymore. I use my signal for all lane-changes and turns. And yet, if I want or need to get into a lane, it's like that signal is an indicator for the other drivers not to yield and let me over, but to zoom up and close the gaps so I can't get in. What are people afraid of? That I'll steal their chances of "winning" in the race to get home or to work? What is truly wrong with these people?

[Bunny]

5. I got really irritated yesterday by someone who was consistently driving

15-20 miles under the limit. The speed limit is 55, this person never exceeded 40 MPH. It was a clear day, no rain or snow or anything else to be cautious about. I followed him/her on a country road with only the occasional passing zone for over ten miles, and of course every time we hit a passing zone there were oncoming cars so I was stuck. There did not appear to be anything wrong with their vehicle that would necessitate such slow driving. I was so pissed off by the time I finally got around them that I almost flipped them off (which is something I never do).

[MountainLaurel]

7. Mine: If you can't drive that Chevy Subdivision, don't buy it n/t

[kentauros]

22. "Subdivision". I like that one

:D

I usually just call them "Subs" as they are about as unwieldy as a submarine in drydock (or in the water, for that matter.)

There's always the standard "land yacht" and "futility vehicle" too

[malta blue]

9. When I was pregnant, my friend used to tease that my child's

first sentence would be "Pick a lane, you fucking bitch"

It wasn't, but she has been known to yell out her window "No one needs a car that big" at Hummer drivers :rofl:

[wartrace]

10. I've got a few "pet peeves" about drivers.

1) USE YOUR TURN SIGNALS. That means USE THEM when you change lanes on the interstate. My ESP isn't what it used to be & if you are changing lanes I would like to know so I can slow down & not hit you. Also, It would be nice if you used your signals when turning. You are a pig for making me wait only to see you turn off. Oh, if we are at a four way stop DON"T be surprised if I go if you don't have your signal on. I do not know you are turning, the fact that YOU are the only one that knows does not allow you to flip me off.

2) Shut up & drive. If you are using your cell phone move to the far right lane. Believe it or not you suck at "multi-tasking". Seriously, you are really bad at it. Oh, to the idiot reading the other day in the third lane going sixty miles an hour; you are a pig. Your reading caused a huge back up behind you forcing EVERYONE to drive ten miles an hour below the speed limit. You would have noticed had you paid attention.

3) Unless you are passing another vehicle please move over to the right lane. There is no good reason to squat in the passing lane. Wake up idiot. If I am forced to pass you in the right lane PLEASE do not speed up to show me how fast you "could have been" going.

4) Could you drive a consistent speed? Speeding up & slowing down is annoying. How many times are you going to pass me only to slow down & force me to pass you again. Make up your mind.

5) If you are driving impaired/drunk I WILL call the law & follow you until you are pulled over by the cops. (unless you are driving too fast for me to follow safely) I have ZERO tolerance for drunk/impaired drivers, you are such a pig that your "party" is worth more to you than someone else's life. I don't give a fat rat if you kill yourself but HOW DARE YOU endanger other people.

[unpossibles]

12. haha. yes, I agree

And can I also add: when stopping at a light, please don't stop 20 feet from the car in front of you, then after I have stopped behind you, creep forward a few inches at a time. Those of us driving a stick are generally just going to stay there until the light turns green and traffic starts moving again. I actually had a lady behind me hit my bumper and her excuse was "I thought you were creeping up too."

No. See those bright red things glowing on the back of my truck? Combined with a lack of motion, that means I am stopped and have my brakes on.

[FloridaJudy]

14. Please, lay off the horn!

There is no law of physics that will allow me to drive any faster than the car directly in front of me. Maybe it's different on your planet, but on this one we're all stuck in the same traffic jam, and honking like a psychotic goose won't change the situation for the better.

And this isn't the Indianapolis 500, the Emergency Room Entrance or the battlefield at Faluja. It's the drive-through at Wendy's. Allowing me ten seconds to count my change and make sure they've given me the right order won't hold you up that much. You'll still get your effin' food, and it'll still be hot. Sheesh.

[kentauros]

24. I had an older guy in a pickup honk at me because I didn't leave the gas pump fast enough.

I always log how much I buy, what my mileage was and the date. I guess taking my time to do the little things I do before leaving is one too many seconds for some. I noticed that he had sat there the whole time with the engine running, this during the ultra-high fuel crisis. I guess the 80F outside temp was too unbearable to go without a/c for a few minutes. When he honked, I looked up to him in my mirror and went back to what I was doing, ignoring him. I knew he was pissed, but unless he approached intending physical violence, I didn't care about his impatience.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

15. I will drive on back roads and go out of my way to avoid the traffic

on the freeway. Better scenery and better company. ;)

[mwooldri]

16. I have good news for you then!

I have a warning sign placed on my car. It's not used over here officially in the USA but it definitely is in the UK and probably Australia too at least.

It's called an "L-Plate".

Essentially it's a big red "L" on a white background, to signify to other drivers that you're a learner driver.

I am not the best driver, I hesitate too much (so although you may think I could have gone I probably thought I couldn't)... but I do drive the speed limit (sometimes 5mph over on higher-speed roads) and I do keep my distance.

Maybe I should spell it out for everyone and plaster the words "student driver" instead.

But I have passed my test, the joke that it was here in NC (the UK drivers test is much much tougher) and have nearly 10 years of driving experience. My accidents bar one have either been driveway incidents or animal strikes. The one accident that was not in a driveway or involving an animal wasn't even my fault - someone spilled diesel on the road and I hit it and span out into an 18-wheeler. I have no speeding tickets or moving violations - ever.

But I still consider myself a crap driver.

Mark.

[Bertha Venation]

18. I like that idea. I'd invent the S-Plate: SANE DRIVER

People would give me a wide berth. "OMG . . . she's not like us!!"

[kentauros]

25. At some point in all the things I have had ideas on and never implemented

was for a bumpersticker that looked like a typical "caution" sign and read:

CAUTION
Courteous Driver

[RandomThoughts]

19. I just walk.

:)

[AlCzervik]

20. Stop slamming on your brakes assholes, try letting your foot of the gas pedal.

[tinymontgomery]

23. Some people should just take the blinkers off

the car, or have their cars built without blinkers and save some money because they never use them.