Little Things That Bring The Rage

[fm2176]

(I originally posted this last year on a non-truck/car forum. Edits and additions have been made where necessary and I apologize in advance for the lengthy rant.)

 

 

"I move my finger one inch to use my turn signal. Why are these [a-holes] so lazy they can't move their finger one [deleted] measly inch to drive more safely?" - from the movie Shoot 'Em Up

 

Sums it up nicely. Four-and-a-half years commuting in DC did not get to me anywhere near as much as my time in Baton Rouge has. No one has turn signals. It's gotten to the point where I am surprised when someone uses them properly. Let's see what the Louisiana Driver's Guide says:

 

SIGNALING

If you do not signal your intention, other drivers will not be prepared for your move. You must

always give a signal to tell other drivers when you plan to turn, change lanes, slow down or stop.

You can use either mechanical signal lights or the left arm.

A right or left turn signal must be given continuously for not less than 100 feet before making the

turn. A greater distance is suggested when driving at faster speeds or in heavy traffic.

 

Okay, it's right there in Chapter Five. Not too different from:

 

Signaling

You must use a turn signal, arm or hand signal, or both, continuously for at least

100 feet before turning. You should signal for a much greater distance and a

longer time interval when traveling at a high speed. This is particularly important

when changing lanes on all highways.

 

Turn Signals

When you plan to make a turn or to enter

or exit a highway, first give the proper turn

signal, which is required by law. Develop a

good habit and use turn signals or hand

signals even if no other traffic is on the

road. Signal when making turns, changing

lanes, entering or exiting highways and

always let the other driver know what you

intend to do.

Signal three or four seconds before you

change direction so other drivers will have

time to react. If you plan to turn after

clearing an intersection, don't signal until

you reach the intersection; otherwise,

drivers on the road ahead may pull out in

front of you. After you complete your

move, be sure the turn signal stops flashing.

Remember, always signal before

changing lanes.

 

If the speed limit is more than 35 MPH,

signal at least 100 feet before you reach

the turning point.

For speeds less than 35 MPH, signal at

least 50 feet in advance.

 

SIGNALING WHEN YOU CHANGE DIRECTIONS

For the benefit of other drivers, you should always signal when you

change directions. This gives them time to react safely to your changes.

You shall use your turn signals before you:

• Parallel Park.

• Make a turnabout (turnaround).

• Change lanes or pass another vehicle.

• Turn at an intersection.

• Enter or leave a freeway or interstate highway.

• Pull away from the curb.

• Pull over to the side of the road.

If you do not signal, other drivers will not know what you plan to do. They

may start to do something that will lead to a collision. Here are some

important rules about signaling direction changes:

• Signal every time you change direction, even when you do not see anyone

else around. The vehicle you do not see is the most dangerous.

Check your blind spots by looking over your shoulder.

 

In fact, I am (almost) willing to bet that every driver's manual in the United States has a similar section devoted solely to the use of turn signals.

 

Don't get me wrong, I am used to rude, aggressive, impatient, and even outright hostile drivers. Every day I would get on I-295 and I-495 in DC I was taking a risk. I-95 down to Richmond is even more dangerous, and I-395 was avoided at all costs. The volume of traffic up there breeds the type of drivers. Still, at least most of them have the common courtesy to signal and attempt to merge, resorting to cutting in only when other drivers force them to. The traffic down here, on the other hand, pales in comparison. Granted, there is congestion during rush hour, and the roads were not designed for the amount of traffic the Baton Rouge area has nowadays (locals tell me that it started getting this way after Katrina, when more and more people started moving here from areas further south).

 

 

I don't know what it is that pisses me off so much about people not signaling. I can usually tell a driver's intentions by their driving technique; for example, most people drift towards a lane if they are planning to change lanes, with or without a turn signal. Admittedly, it is safer driving around idiots that don't signal but allow ample space than it is driving around idiots that do signal and cut off other drivers. Perhaps even worse than the ones that do not signal when they switch lanes are the ones that fail to signal when they are turning. Are you slowing down for something in the road? Hard to tell down here, where there could be anything in the road from an animal to flowing water to a car in a ditch. Oh, nevermind, you are just making a left-hand turn, without the common courtesy of letting everyone else know. There have been a few times where I've almost rear-ended someone doing this. Four or five car lengths between us. Doing right at the speed limit. Okay, brake lights, let me take my foot off the gas and cover the brake. Okay, they're slowing down more, time for some brake. Holy crap!, they stopped in the middle of the road! Oh, wait, there's the turn signal. Which brings me to my next gripe, the people that signal too late. If you are stopped in the middle of the road, see the big truck behind you, and then decide to engage your turn signal, it is too late. The big truck is either already stopped or will soon be rather intimate with your rear bumper. Oncoming traffic may suddenly realize that you are turning instead of being stopped for no reason, and you may even reap the benefit of a polite driver yielding or slowing down to allow you to turn. Use that signal much sooner, though, and you may not have to stop at all. It is much easier for oncoming and following traffic to adjust their speed to allow you to turn than it is for everyone to come to an awkward halt for the sake of one car with a broken signal or driver. Similarly, if you are changing lanes, and signal when you are halfway in the lane, don't bother. You're already there.

 

Something related that is not quite so irksome, but still bothers me, is burnt-out lights. Let's talk about turn signals again, since they are the most obvious when they burn out. When blink..........blink..........blink..........blink becomes blink..blink..blink, you might want to do a quick visual check. You hear the click of the relay, see the light on the dash, and know your signal is blinking much faster than it was yesterday. Auto Electric for Dummies. Burnt-out bulb = faster blink. Even the most car/electrical illiterate among us should realize that something is wrong with the signals. So, there is no scapegoat for driving with burnt-out signals, but how hard is it to walk around your car every so often and check the other lights. I had a headlight burn out a few months ago. Couldn't see like I could the night before, stopped and sure enough a light was out so I went out of my way to hit up Advance Auto. It could have waited until the next day as I was almost home, but putting it on the back burner would likely find me driving the next night with one headlight yet again.

 

 

Obnoxious road-ragers are another peeve of mine, though nowhere near as bad as the turn signal thing. Last year I was in a government vehicle on I-10 going to New Orleans about 5am. The windshield needed cleaning, so I hit the washer fluid. A car that was a ways behind me sped up and started riding my ass (I was doing about 85 in a 70 mph zone), though I was still cleaning the windshield. Next thing you know, he is passing on the right and cutting me off. He slowed down to about 60 mph or so and sprayed his washer fluid for a good 30 seconds or more. Nice guy. A short while later he got stuck behind slow traffic and ended up behind me again, so I did what any good driver would do, maintained my speed and kept my cool. This guy has nothing better to do than show his ass and risk an accident because a little overspray got on his car on the way to work. Last month a similar occurrence happened. Heaing down to NO in a government tagged car, I was in the left lane passing slower traffic on cruise control. Out of nowhere a CUV jerks behind me and starts laying on the horn. I get back over into the right lane, they pass, then they start slowing down and speeding up, with me catching back up a couple of times while maintaining the same speed. Finally they drove out of my sight.

 

It's not just road-ragers, though, sometimes there are plain dangerous drivers. The most blatant example would have to be the Super Duty pulling the race car trailer in moderate traffic from Northern Virginia to Fredericksburg. This guy had a big truck pulling a bigger trailer and was weaving in and out of traffic, leaving inches between the trailer and the cars he cut off. Trying to run 90 when traffic was doing 75. His trailer was covered with stickers and I couldn't help but think that maybe this guy thought he was already on the track. That would have been one great time to see a State Trooper.

 

There you have it, some of my peeves when it comes to other drivers. Maybe it's me getting older, maybe just grouchy or hateful, but sometimes other drivers actions can ruin my trip, for a few miles at least. That said, I've done my share of stupid stuff in the past and probably in the future, and I hope that somewhere someone is using me as an example of what not to do. Anyone else here have any road peeves?

 

[Coalbunny]

Where I live most of the drivers don't use turn signals. Go figger.

 

You know what irritates the hell out of me? Other drivers driving on the road. Man, what do you think God made sidewalks for?

[fm2176]

Where I live most of the drivers don't use turn signals. Go figger.

 

You know what irritates the hell out of me? Other drivers driving on the road. Man, what do you think God made sidewalks for?

 

 

True dat. Problem is, there are few sidewalks where I live and the ditches are too deep for other drivers to drive in just to please me.

[Nick The Great]

Didn't read the whole OP.

 

But I hate the no turn signal thing. And the red light runners. Just because you "saw" the yellow light when you were up the road, doesn't mean you can go through it once it's red. At any given intersection in town, there'll be at LEAST 2 cars still driving in the intersection once my light is green.

[Daryl LBZ]

Going 10-15 mph under the speed limit!

[tomasg921]

people getting in front of me when I'm in a hurry!

[kawtoy_77]

-passing me to slow down and turn (Jack@$$!!!!)

-passing me and then slowing down (I will make sure that doesn't happen again)

-speeding up to me, and then hangin out back there on my bumper (...you were obviously in a bigger hurry than I was, and the path is clear so PASS ALREADY!)

-people who ride the back bumper (if you like to look at my bumper, we can arrange to make it your new hood ornament)

-people who slam on the brakes right before an ice patch (because severe reactions never cause accidents, lol)

-people who pass me going up a hill (I like this, as long as I have an out. Its like natural selection for weeding out stupid people)

-people who pass when there is not enough time, and expect me to let them cut in (doesn't happen, I will recognize you as number 1, and continue in my own lane at my own speed)

-people who are driving under the speed limit (its 70 and sunny, why are we going 45mph?)

-people who won't use the cruise control, and constantly fluctuate speed (this should irritate anyone IMO)

-people who don't use the turn signals (How was I supposed to know you were gonna turn here, telepathy!?)

 

... i could go on for quite some time, but I think this is sufficient, and I have a bad road rage problem

[amtz.zero]

I also hate it when people don't use their turn signals.

Another thing I hate is when the person driving in front of me on the freeway is going 15 miles under the speed limit and hitting their brakes every 10 seconds! I have a road rage problem too..

[chev1guy]

People who wait until the last minute to get on the road. Then you have to slam on your brakes to avoid hitting them.

[peteking]

....I dunno why, but people who ride their brakes while going down long steady hills/grades justbugs the hell out of me. I usually downshift and let the engine slow me down so I don't abuse my brakes as much. But I STILL end up using my brakes frequently when people in front of me ride down hills at rediculously slow speeds....

[csheatz]

Holy OP

 

 

Dont hate me but I find that I use my signal when ever i am turning in out out, or onto a road. I forget to use it about 70% of the time for a lane change. Although when I have a trailer I make sure I always use it.

 

I hate when people pass me then slow down, causing me to tap the brakes to shut down cruise control, yet it was not fast enough for them and they had to pass me. Also people that cant hold a steady speed on the highway, I dont mean like 75-74-76-73. I mean like 65-70-75-60-80, make up ur damn mind. Then I get pissed and go around them and they get pissed and flash their brights at me! Thats ok I have light on the back and I love to see the look on their face when I slow down, they get real close then I flip the switch. They back down real fast.

 

My saying is "there are 6.2 or so billion people on earth, the left side (6 billion) doesnt have a clue whats going on and are a few fries short of a happy meal, they are just here to get in our way. The right side (.2 billion) are the ones that have it together, and can solve 2+2=4+1=?

[jro909]

turn signals are only needed if your chageing direction, otherwise they are not required...i hate

1) old people drivers, they drive like its some scenic safari tour

2)people that ride my ass then swerve around behind me for no reason

3)FIB drivers(if you know what a fib is you will get it)

4) people that brake like 2 seconds before they have to stop without any warning

5) teenage drivers trying to show off(i almost got smoked by a lebaron doing donuts)

 

the list could go on and on

[jro909]

....I dunno why, but people who ride their brakes while going down long steady hills/grades justbugs the hell out of me. I usually downshift and let the engine slow me down so I don't abuse my brakes as much. But I STILL end up using my brakes frequently when people in front of me ride down hills at rediculously slow speeds....

 

brakes are cheaper then fixing a transmission man..

[tomasg921]

....I dunno why, but people who ride their brakes while going down long steady hills/grades justbugs the hell out of me. I usually downshift and let the engine slow me down so I don't abuse my brakes as much. But I STILL end up using my brakes frequently when people in front of me ride down hills at rediculously slow speeds....

 

brakes are cheaper then fixing a transmission man..

 

 

its not transmission, its engine braking. Its actually recommended to engine break rather than ride the brakes. if you ride the breaks, they tend to heat up and overheated brakes tend to fail.

[kawtoy_77]

....I dunno why, but people who ride their brakes while going down long steady hills/grades justbugs the hell out of me. I usually downshift and let the engine slow me down so I don't abuse my brakes as much. But I STILL end up using my brakes frequently when people in front of me ride down hills at rediculously slow speeds....

 

brakes are cheaper then fixing a transmission man..

 

 

its not transmission, its engine braking. Its actually recommended to engine break rather than ride the brakes. if you ride the breaks, they tend to heat up and overheated brakes tend to fail.

 

How do you spell brakes right, then not spell it correctly, and then spell it correctly again in the length of 2 sentences!? LMAO!