I’m Convinced Bad Drivers In The City, Makes People Assholes

[20score]

Living and driving in LA for years and seeing one asshole driver per mile, or more, (yeah, I’m guessing and there’s nothing scientific to back this up) on the 405 has convinced me that constantly coming across bad drivers makes people ruder in their daily lives. Every day, bar none, there are people cutting others off, changing lanes without a turn signal and tailgating, always tailgating. It adds to whatever stress a person has in his/her life and starts to make that person less trusting. You have to wonder, ‘these people have to park and get out sometime; do I work or interact with these assholes?’ Of course you do! They’re everywhere! So, it affects the way we think about others. But, what to do?

Traveling to smaller cities and small towns I, - and all that are honest – will find more courteous drivers. They will merge correctly, let someone in or out when feasible, and most importantly, not drive three inches from your ass while doing 70 mph. Obviously, it’s because people are more anonymous driving in the city than in less crowded places. That and the fact that bad drivers beget bad drivers. After the 400th time turning on your turn signal and having the person in the next lane pull up so you can’t change lanes, it starts to make you want to forego the turn signal next time. (For the record, even after twenty some years here, I still drive politely.) So again, what to do?

Well, how about giving tickets to people who actually deserve them? The tailgaters and just plain strokes who make life that much worse for everybody on the road? Or, we could dump that moronic, sadistic War on Drugs and start a new War on Asshole Drivers? I’m all for that, but open to suggestions.


(This is only partially tongue-in-cheek; these drivers really do piss me off.)

[rasputin5]

1. You have, inadvertantly of course, reversed cause and effect.

:-)

[20score]

2. LOL. I haven't worked out all the kinks in my theory. It's a work in progress.

[rasputin5]

4. It happens.

:rofl:

[Believing Is Art]

3. Oddly I didn't mind LA driving

Maybe it was because I expected it, but driving in LA didn't upset me. I put myself in the mindset to think of it like a video game and not concentrate on making good time. Now I'm living in small town Illinois. The drivers here are TERRIBLE. I get significantly more pissed off here than I ever did in LA.

[20score]

6. Wow, don't know how you did it! I drive all over the country, and this place pisses me off the most.

They must be REALLY bad where you are.

[Believing Is Art]

12. As every out-of-stater here notices,

They don't know how to navigate 4 way stops. And we have a lot of them. Most locals here wait for one car to go and then think it's their turn. The special ones do a rolling stop or don't even pretend (regardless of how many people are at the intersection). Few drivers can keep a constant speed, turn signals are a rare activity, and merging lanes are there so they can speed up and nearly cause a wreck just to get one car ahead. There are days when I am so frazzled from a trip that I hang up my keys and either take the bus or beg for rides because my nerves are so shaken.

[20score]

13. Exactly! You hit the nail on the head.

[Donnachaidh]

48. guess that's why the cops labeled the rolling stop the "Hollywood" stop

They snagged my DH for that.

I drove in LA for a decade, and I *thought* they were the worst, but now I have to call Georgia drivers the worst. Of course, Atlanta's traffic is getting as bad as LA's, but then you add the wonderful driving skills of Joe Sixpack, complete with small truck atop a set of HUGE tires doing a sideways trek across four lanes at 80 miles an hour -- you've got a combination of bad driving marinated in stupid.

And both cities have enough idiots who think they can drive while texting, applying mascara, or putting on pantyhose. :eyes:

[rasputin5]

7. I hear you. I've driven in 50+ countries and every U.S. state, I think

(I can't recall driving in Vermont)...bad drivers aren't restricted to any locality. Jamaica at night is pretty close to maximum terror. ;-)

[Indenturedebtor]

33. Yeah I prefer aggressive rude people to overly polite ineffective droolers

My wife and I actually had a long drunken conversation about how we can't stand how polite and lazy people are out west compared to the assholes back east. The driving is just part of it.

Try to get anywhere or get anything important done and some lazy blase super smiley Barney watcher gets in your damn way. Can't stand it.

[proud patriot]

5. I think Californians are great people as long as they are not

behind the wheel of a car . I say this as a Californian Native .

[20score]

8. Like I said - still working on my theory. (This is my first non-political post.)

So, be patient please while I work out the kinks.

[JuniperLea]

9. I've lived in LA all my life, and I agree!

I know I become an uber bitch after driving the 405! Or the 710... or the 605... or the 91... or the 105... lol!

My new tactic is reveling in the anger of others, taking pity on them for being so ill-suited for modern society and for being so annoyed at the world. I'm especially fond of the guys who must surely equate their driving prowess, if not the size of thier vehicle, for their manlyhood.

You see, I've learned to look far, far down the road to determine what lane is moving best at what point in the freeway. I do it all subconsciously now... I come up the 605, get on the five... keeping to the right lane because it moves faster... passing all the road warriors who battled their way INTO the left lane... snicker... I just love seeing jokers wasting all that gas and emotional energy, only to find themselves back behind me again because I was smart enough to stick to one lane while they were hot rodding all over the damn place.

Yes, I'm passive aggressive... and I love that about me! LOL!!!

Here, have a highway song...

Chewin' on a piece of grass walkin' down the road
tell me, how long you gonna stay here Joe?
Some people say this town don't look good in snow
You don't care, I know.


Ventura Highway, in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine
You're gonna go I know


Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
and the day surround your daylight there
Seasons cryin' no despair
Alligator lizards in the air


Wishin' on a fallin' star
Watchin' for the early train
Sorry boy, but I've been hit by purple rain
Aw, come on Joe, you can always change your name
Thanks alot son, just the same


Ventura Highway, in the sunshine
Where the days are longer
The nights are stronger than moonshine!
you're gonna go, I know


Cause the free wind is blowin' through your hair
and the days surround your daylight there
seasons cryin' no despair
Alligator lizards in the air
in the air

[20score]

11. Thanks! Great post.

And great song.

[marmar]

10. Actually, other than the rush hour that never ends, I don't find driving in LA that bad when I visit

....... the "80 mph mininmum OR ELSE!" drivers here in the Detroit area and the Masshole drivers in and around Boston I've found to be much bigger jerks.

[20score]

45. LA certainly does not have a monopoly on bad drivers.

[Riktor]

51. Massholes take the cake

They are especially annoying when they invade your state for the weekend because they think the leaves are prettier on your side of the state line.

[AlCzervik]

14. i live in California but i'm a transplanted Masshole, my theory on asshole drivers in this state

is--people come to California from all over the world and it would appear the ones that get her are the worst drivers from their original state or country.

and we also just have more people here, a crappy highway system and way too many cars.

[vanderBeth]

15. Try riding a bike in the city where you have to share the roads with these drivers.

:o

[20score]

21. That must suck.

[Edweird]

16. Miami is a little slice of hell, too. I think this is a "chicken or the egg" kinda thing.

Either way it's a death spiral.

[NNN0LHI]

17. Public canings would alleviate this problem in a jiffy. You, betcha

Just kidding.

Don

[20score]

18. Now, now, don't be so quick to dismiss your idea!

Just kidding, myself.

[iamthebandfanman]

19. idiot drivers are everywhere

i probably see two or three idiot drivers at any given moment when on the road n my small town of 9,000 ;)

what freaks me out tho, is that now they are all getting or have cell phones...

bad driver + cell = cant be good.

lol

[vixengrl]

20. I think it has to do with population-density.

The folkways of driving in Philly or Trenton or NYC are definitely different from the suburbs, but similar (actually, *mild*) compared to the folkways of even small-town driving in southern Italy. What I think gets interpreted as impatience and opportunism is actually the necessary "offensive driving" tactic needed to keep traffic from grinding to a halt.

I hate tailgaters, but I also don't like people who seem to need two or three carlengths between them and the guy in front of them, even when stopped at a light--these are the same schmucks who slow down at a "stale" green light to strand you behind it when it changes, or keep you from getting across the intersection before the light turns while you're still stuck out there. (Cursing and muttering "move up, move up" at them.) I hate people who seem to merge without looking, but being trapped behind somebody who comes to a dead stop and looks forever at an entrance ramp instead of rolling into the merge are infuriating. I've found that sometimes, flipping on a turn signal makes the guy in the lane you want to be in--no matter how far back he is-- *speed up* to block you out. I know of people, anecdotally, who do not use turn signals for just that reason.

People in less densely-populated areas may not run into as many a-holes, and can afford to be a little nicer behind the wheel. But you learn a-hole driving in and around cities to protect yourself from them once you are surrounded by them.

[20score]

22. Had to vent.

[eridani]

23. It's the anonymity that is the problem

If you live in a small town, you don't flip someone off when they cut you off because that person is very likely to be grading your kid's test, wiring your house, digging your well, filling your cavity, or maybe even sitting on the zoning board from which you have just requested a variance.

[michreject]

24. Are you one of those left lane drivers

that enforce the laws by driving the speed limit?

Those are the people who piss me off.

If not.:hi:

[20score]

25. Not even close! I'm talking about about doing 75 or 80 in the middle lane with nowhere

to go, and some ass is five inches from my bumper. I NEVER drive slow, especially in the fast lane. (Unless there's traffic stopping me, which is most of the time here.)

[michreject]

43. I would slow down to a crawl then

There's idiots everywhere.

[Dora]

26. I don't buy the rural drivers v. urban drivers hypothesis.

I know rural drivers who struggle with driving in urban environments. Their behavior behind the wheel isn't meant to be aggressive or assholish, but it's decidedly inappropriate for urban driving.

[20score]

29. Like eridani said, a lot of it has to do with anonymity. That and the fact there are so many

drivers, a person is bound to run into more bad ones. (That and what I said in the post, I've talked to many transplants here who' told me they've adapted by becoming more rude.)

[EFerrari]

27. There is a big @sshole magnet under Los Angeles that attracts bad drivers.

There really isn't anything like it anywhere else. :shrug:

[20score]

31. You rock!

[QueenOfCalifornia]

28. I lived in L.A.

for quite some time - The drivers there are no worse than the asshats in Orange County or here in San Diego. I have to get on the freeway every day of the week and I have to say - what the hell is up with the moron who is trying to get on the freeway while going a whole 40 mph? :wtf:

This guy is everywhere I go. I learned that to merge into freeway traffic you get up to the speed of the people driving in that dumbassed right lane.

Also, I hate the fucktard who has to be on my bumper no matter how friggin fast I am driving. I could be driving at warp 4 and some prick in a _______________________ (insert your own car type here) gets on my ass and acts like I am screwing up his/her day???? I can't go faster than the dude in front of me, really, I can't.

When I lived in Grass Valley CA, the drivers were worse than L.A. or any town I have lived in - They are dangerous idiots there... And yes, I gave plenty of my neighbors the 1 finger salute. Learn to drive damn it!

[LibDemAlways]

30. LA drivers are aggressive as hell. They bunch up on the

freeway, tailgating and engaging in ongoing games of "dangerous lane changing to gain a two second advantage." I just stick to the right and let them all haul ass past me. Keeping my distance is the best way I know to survive. That, and getting off at Skirball and working my way down through surface streets to the Valley so as to avoid the 405 downhill at breakneck speed terrifying transition to the 101, aka accident alley.

[EFerrari]

34. On the freeway, they don't want to be ahead of you or behind you.

They want to be WHERE YOU ARE.

And on surface streets, it's like being in bumper cars. I've never seen so many SUVs being driven by 85 lb women with a phone in one hand and lipstick in the other. I actually stopped driving for a while because I wanted to live.

[dkofos]

32. I found drivers in Ca. much easier to put up with than Texas drivers.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

35. You want agressive, high speed, tailgaters? Try anywhere in England.

Throw in some roundabouts with someone keeping a nice, safe, distance of about 6 inches and notice your hair turn white in terror.

BUT, they do pay attention when driving. At least when I was there in the '80s. I didn't notice them fiddling with their radios, doing their make-up, slapping the brats, eating a 3 course meal, or cuddling their dogs. Something that seems to be a necessity for drivers in the USA.

Not to mention the advent of cell phones.

[EFerrari]

36. When we used to go to Mexico, we'd bribe the cabbies to go SLOWER.

and in El Salvador, my grandma used to pray out loud from the back seat of the taxi. lol

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

37. When I was in Japan, we tough-guy marines, would sit in terror in the taxis.

There was a one lane bridge underpass that was at right angles. When the taxi to town would approach that underpass whoever honked first had the right of way. Watching tough guys (me included) turn ashen when the honks were simultaneous would have been hilarious if not traveling at 40 mph, in the dark, with a cabbie who was determined not to give way. They didn't call them Kamikaze cabs for nothin'.

[20score]

38. I was there in the '80's. I know exactly what you're talking about!

[suede1]

39. The House Wive's of Wheaton Illinois...

Theses soccer moms tend to drive luxury SUV's, that are obviously well insured, which is a good thing. They drive like drunken L.A. drivers with out the aggression, it's more like oblivion.

With so many churches, The Billy Graham Association, and Wheaton College (formerly Wheaton Bible College), it's a fair bet that these women put thier driving in God's hands.

Just walking through a parking lot there can be dangerous.

[huskerlaw]

40. I moved to LA from Nebraska...

and I would rather drive in Los Angeles than in Omaha. No joke. Or, God forbid, on a hilly 2-lane highway behind some idiot going 40 mph. I won't even get into the grain trucks and the combines...

Yes, LA is chaotic, but it is a controlled chaos. It has to be, or we'd all be dead by now.

[valerief]

41. My pet peeve. I swear, some asshole driver will put me in my grave

one way or another.

Here in Boston, every other driver is an asshole driver. I wonder what's on my rear bumper that everyone wants to sniff it so often.

These are the same people that cut in front of you in lines at the supermarket, scream into their cell phones in pubic, and say, "I deserve it!" a lot. Assholes.

[20score]

42. Love that line! Going to use it.

"I wonder what's on my rear bumper that everyone wants to sniff it so often."

[wroberts189]

44. It's the whole transportation system. Thank the "big 3" automakers.

They killed off our trolley system.

You are right on spot ... I find driving can be very stressful and can easily spoil a good mood.

And it does depend on location. There are places better than others.


No bike trails... No high speed rail.. We need that all back. I would ride a bike or moped if it was safe.

[awoke_in_2003]

46. Not me...

I am a self-made asshole.

[Vektor]

47. Bay Area resident here - totally agree.

Ever since I took a new job and bought a house one city block from my place of business, my stress level has gone down considerably. Losing that commute has been the best thing that has ever happened to my blood pressure.

[20score]

49. You're lucky.

[Vektor]

50. I did the commute for the first year I lived here.

And it was ROUGH. :crazy:

[Quantess]

52. Here's a tip: when changing lanes,

use the turn signal not as a "please let me in", but as a warning that you will be pushing your way into that lane. It always works for me.

Not using the turn signal is passive aggressive, and bad manners.

I'm an assertive driver, and other drivers respond positively, in general.

[JCMach1]

53. Come to Asia before you EVER criticize American Drivers/Driving Again

Even NYC and LA is a peaceful holiday compared to Cairo, Dubai, Mumbai, Kathmandu, and the list goes on...

I could almost sleep through an American drive in comparison.

[20score]

54. I've been to Asia, and yes they're worse. But people here can be better,

a lot better; I've seen it in Oregon and Minnesota, etc., so I'll criticize... as is my right.

[JCMach1]

55. Absolutely criticize... However, I always enjoy the peace and quite of a drive through LA or NYC

When I am home... LOL

People should be better drivers and smarter for that matter... It's just that Americans actually are some of the safest and best in the world (relatively speaking).

[20score]

56. LOL. I never got into a car in Japan without a corresponding heart-attack.