Black Sheep driver

[wolke9]

I've been getting really frustrated lately driving around on public roads. It seems the more I drive, the more I encounter individuals who either don't care to drive the way they should be or are just lazy. Honestly, I'd say the left lane is no longer the passing lane (I end up passing more people on the right than left!!!). Then they lokk @ me or flip me off like I'm the one with a problem! From what I hera, most European drivers aren't as inconsiderate as U.S. drivers. I also heard it's MUCH tougher to get a drivers license over there. I've been on the track a couple of times @ Summit Point (w/Car Guys) and am looking forward to getting into SpecMiata or SpecE30 sometime soon to release my pent up energy!!!

 

Sorry if I'm ranting , but how do you guys/gals cope with others who don't use their signals/aren't paying attention to their driving/sit in the left lane and won't pass/Read the newspaper while programming their iPod and talking on the cellphone/etc. . etc. . .etc. . .??

 

I LOVE driving am always looking for ways to become a better driver. I'm just not sure how to deal with those who don't give a flying cr!@. Being on the track on a regular basis must provide some contentment so that on the way home you don't have to drive like a maniac??!!

[99HOSS]

... as far as I'm concerned, the track is the safest place to drive, anymore.

 

Nothing out on the highway surprises me anymore, as much as it scares me.

[Frank Corkran]

Yes, I find the more time I spend in traffic with skilled drivers at the track, the less patience I have for the clueless morons on the road. Just try to remember, they know not what they do. When I happen across a good, courteous driver it's always a pleasant surprise. Other than the track, there are no Driving Schools - just courses in How To Operate A Motor Vehicle.

 

There's a learning model often cited in classrooms at the track, where a student's skill level starts out as Incompetent and Unconscious. I've modified this model for highway drivers, most of whom are Incompetent, Unconscious and Inconsiderate.

 

For the record, I spent 2 weeks in Germany a while back and I found many of the autobahn drivers to be worse than the average turnpike driver. Can't say the roads were any better or less crowded than our better interstates, either. Oh well, eventually I guess one day we'll all be shuffling along on foot, shoulder to shoulder - because it will be faster than driving.

 

Ditto on the no surprise, very scary. I believe my chances of being killed or maimed on track are far, far less than when I'm driving amongst the citizenry. My money is on being flattened by a dozing (or hopped up) semi driver. Happens around here to someone almost weekly.

 

As for how to deal with it, just drive well and do your best to get some distance from the worst of them, either ahead or behind. And never make eye contact, no matter how badly you'd like to let them know your opinion of their skills. Last thing you want is to add red mist to their problems. Treat them the same as you do the deer at Summit Point.

[Gfaules]

I understand just how you feel regarding driving on public highways especially after dicing it up on the track and if you think that's hard try listening to a race on satellite radio while driving along. Before you realize it and the wife or girl-friend ask you to slow down you're breaking all the laws. But the key phrase here is "Public roads" and that's exactly what they are. As race car drivers, instructors, etc, more than anyone we should know to be patient and set an example. That leaves you safe and happy to drive fast where you don't endanger anyone else... the track. You are not going to get everyone from all walks of life and age to drive exactly the way you think they should. Some days you get a brake and some days you won't but when all else fails, do what I do... PUNT.

[nasaregistrar]

I hear you. Franks advice is pretty good too. I commute on the Interstate 45 miles each way and have to drive with the masses every day. I just cruise control it, stay right, pass left and get the hell away from any asshats I see. The 42 seconds I could save by being reckless isn't worth it to me anymore.

[nape]

Sorry if I'm ranting , but how do you guys/gals cope with others who don't use their signals/aren't paying attention to their driving/sit in the left lane and won't pass/Read the newspaper while programming their iPod and talking on the cellphone/etc. . etc. . .etc. . .??

 

Pass them safety, if possible. If not, park myself 6" off their bumper and stay there until they move. They usually speed up to a decent speed or get so uncomfortable that they'll change lanes.

 

It's not right, but neither is what they're doing. Two wrongs doesn't make a right, but it sure makes me feel better

[zuperdave]

First of all, I think you have to keep in mind that the drivers on the public roads are not there the purpose of improving their driving, like we are when we are on the track. To them, driving is a means to some other end... As a result, there are way too many distracted drivers eating, talking on their cell phones, putting on makeup, or doing something other than paying attention to their driving.

 

Maybe they have gotten driver licenses (or not!) and think they now know everything there is to know about driving. "'Vehicle dynamics?' What's that?" Maybe they have watched too much "Speed Channel," see a bunch of NASCAR racers driving around in a traffic jam, and think "Hey, I can do that!"

 

Personally, I think the aggressive drivers should be taken off the road. You know the ones I mean, those with the "me first" attitude and don't give a f@ck about right of way, whether that be a pedestrian, red light, or other vehicle.

[Tiger Racing]

park myself 6" off their bumper and stay there until they move. They usually speed up to a decent speed or get so uncomfortable that they'll change lanes.

 

Then you are part of the problem.

 

C.

[Frank Corkran]

park myself 6" off their bumper and stay there until they move. They usually speed up to a decent speed or get so uncomfortable that they'll change lanes.

 

Then you are part of the problem.

 

C.

 

Exactly. Most drivers, if they look in their mirrors at all, will either get nervous and slow down (like they do when passing semi rigs) or get mad and block you on purpose. Or throw a brake check at you. Just calm down, back off and wait.

[wolke9]

Maybe I'll just travel the back roads to get home instead of the interstate. . . less traffic and a more enjoyable ride. Yeah, I feel like an A$$ passing someone on the right who is doing 65-70 and I want to go 75-80, but I'm not going to have someone in front of me determine how fast I am supposed to drive. As long as the conditions warrant, and I accept full responsibility if I get tagged from the Fuzz, I see no reason I should feel awful, about it. I consider myself a very safe driver who always uses my signal and always travels the right lane when I'm not passing someone immediately. How hard of a concept is that for drivers to adhere to???

 

The roads are getting busier and more congested. I wish they had a special lane for people who want to be on their cellphone, wanna eat, or have to put on make-up. . .

 

Or maybe I'll just move to South Dakota. . . .

 

Thanks for the insight all! it's a shame the majority consider driving a right and not a privledge. . .

[Frank Corkran]

... who always uses my signal and always travels the right lane when I'm not passing someone immediately. How hard of a concept is that for drivers to adhere to???

 

From my observations, a very difficult one for most. They simply don't see how much it would improve the flow of traffic if everyone did that. In PA the legislature recently passed a law to *enforce* the existing laws pertaining to blocking the left lane. The governor vetoed it because he wouldn't "punish those who were driving safer", as if driving slower than everyone else in then left lane made them safer drivers. Also picking and maintaining a steady speed, and driving so as not to cause others to hit their brakes needlessly. If everyone drove like that the highways would flow a lot more smoothly and quickly and be a far less stressful. Oh, well.

[nasaregistrar]

last week I actually saw a young woman with one cell phone on the ear/shoulder, and DIALING a second phone while driving in the left lane!!!

[Renntag]

I cant even begin to explain how much it agrivates me to be stuck behind people that park in the left lane and either travel the speed limit or some small +/- there of.

 

State law says you must pass left and keep right.

In the DC Metro area they have a bogus "smooth operator" program intended to crack down on aggressive driving.

 

Not long ago an article in the washington post on this topic stated that Md and Va both define aggressive driving as when a driver violates 3 or more of a list of rules within a short period or distance. From memory a few of those are:

 

Following to close

speeding

changing lanes more than x amount (forget specifics).

PASSING on RIGHT

Flashing lights.

( I believe there were a few more).

 

So this means than every single day on our way to work as we travel 2-7mph over the speed limit, change lanes a few times and pass the inconsiderate drivers on their right we are technically AGRESSIVE DRIVERS according to this program.

 

Now what grates my last nerve is that at no point is it ever mentioned that people need to:

Keep right except to pass.

Keep traffic flowing and allow motorists from behind to progress even if you need to go a little faster. (it wont kill you).

NEVER EVER EVER hit your brakes if you think someone is too close.

Learn to match speeds in order to merge.

Keep the left lane clear.

 

Merging. There's an ancient art. How many of you guys have had someone pull out in front of you 5,10,15 mph UNDER the speed limit while you're towing your trailer ?

 

I had the pleasure of living in England for 4 years and while there I noticed how dificult it is to get a drivers license. It can take several years and costs a small fortune. I also noticed that they keep traffic flowing a little better.

 

Some of us may be following mid term elections and notice that one topic is traffic congestion. I never ever hear anyone mention teaching drivers to be courteous and using education to teach motorists to improve traffic on a daily basis. There are more people in NY metro and yet traffic flows better than here in Washington DC. Strange.

 

THis is a sore subject for many of us. There is no easy solution in sight.

 

[roadracetransam]

Now, to get the Los Angeles County perspective on this, and vent my own frustrations. I drive, mostly sit in traffic, 70,000 miles each year.

The roads are super conjested here. We have 6-7 lanes each direction on most hwy's all traveling <35 mph about 70% of the day. On the streaches, where we are actually moving, most are hittting 75-85 mph while there are still a few chumming along with 65mph. Passing on the right is a norm.

Now here is my annoyances:

 

People please look in your mirror!

 

If you are in the left most lane, and 4 cars in the last 30 seconds passed you on the right, just move to the right! You got 4 more lanes to choose form!

 

If you are not in a hurry, stay out of the carpool lane! This especially goes out to th Prius drivers. They seem to enjoy driving slow in a lane where there is no way to get around them. Most Prius drivers seem to have bad decision making skills anyway. It is self evident since they did decide to buy a Prius.

[Memphis]

I had a situation yesterday that I feel a need to throw in this thread. I was making a right hand turn on to a two lane road with apposing traffic also having a turn signal. So i turn into my lane and notice that a an is going extremely slow. So I glance in my mirror and do not see anyone so I make the arc of my turn bigger to pass while turning. Right when I get into the left lane I heard a long horn blast and look back to see a car being driven by a large redneck lady. From being at the track I do not get nervious with people right behind me but honestly she was at least 5-6 feet behind me but I still admit that I could see how she though I cut her off, though she had to have been accelerating hard seeing as she was not there when I committed to the turn.

 

So she continues to lay on the horn for 10 seconds, i do not make contact with her because i could easliy see this build up with this large redneck woman. I brkisly accelerate away from her in hopes of her catching a upcomming red light and making some distace on her to diffuse the situation. I go though a yellow and he goes though a clearly red light at which we catch another red light. At the light she lays on the horn again for 20 seconds wanting me to acknowledge her. It wasnt happening, i know what I did, admitting to my self it was a mistake.

 

Then I witness the most unsafe think I have ever seen in my years of driving........

 

I go to the left hand turn lane off this road to let her go by at which point at 40 mph she was almost completely out of the car window ( could see her belt out of the car window) and give me the finger with both hands while yelling an obsenity at me looking backwards at my car.

 

So i question who was more unsafe. Me "cutting" her off with plenty of distance to make the pass or her, 1. her road rage and distracting other drivers with her long horning 2. running a red light 3. not paying attention driving getting me to look at her 4. driving 40mph out her car window, not looking forward with both hands on the wheel??

 

I get cut off almost daily with a lot less distance to spare. All I do is back off to give them the pass and contunue on. Most times I dont even honk and if I do its a short blip just to get them to realize they were not paying attention.

 

I defentally feel more safe driving on the track and wish I did not have to drive on the street at all.