My Gripes about Bad Drivers
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I grew up in New Jersey and would sometimes drive into Manhattan (New York City) on a Friday or Saturday evening. People would ask me whether I was afraid to drive in the city — not because of the crime, but because of all the traffic.
I told them “No. When I drive in Manhattan, I think like a cabbie.“ (That’s a New York City taxi driver, for those of you in Rio Linda.) If I drove like a taxi driver, I figured, I would be OK, because I would be driving like all the other crazies.
I moved to California. Driving in California is nothing like driving in New York. Better, you might think? Wrong! The drivers in New York City are good drivers compared to some I’ve observed in Southern California.
Here are some of my gripes — about drivers here and elsewhere:
- Drivers who move between a series of red lights like this: floor it to get to the next red light, then wait there two minutes for the green, then floor it to get to the next red light, etc., etc.
- Drivers who drive very slowly on freeway entrance ramps...they expect that at 30 miles per hour, they'll be able to merge into 70 mph traffic. If I'm unlucky enough to be behind them, I have to merge on at 30 mph.
- Drivers who won't let you merge on in front of them, when you're doing everything right. They are in a stream of 100,000 cars, but it's a threat to their manhood if they let ONE car get ahead of them. Besides, it will take them 0.00001 second longer to get to work.
- Drivers who use their cell phone while driving.
- Tailgaters: I was taught the two second rule to determine spacing between me and the car ahead of me. It would appear many California drivers learned the two millisecond rule.
- Drivers who go 40 mph in parking lots.
- The geniuses who back out of slots in parking lots, without looking in the rear view mirror to see if there's a car, or a pedestrian, or a Girl Scout troop they're going to mow down.
- Drivers who believe the commuter (carpool) lane is the "hyperfast lane". Yaaaaa, yaaaaa — I know, people shouldn't get in that lane and go 55. If I get in the carpool lane, I will go as fast as is safe, and probably not more than 70. If they want to go 90, and they're behind me, that's.......... just.......... too.......... bad.
- Drivers who don't plan ahead or judge the traffic in the commuter lane, and actually come to a stop till they can get over, so they won't miss their exit. Then, if it's just me stopped behind them, I have to hope that some driver behind me on mental autopilot won't smash into me doing 90.
- Drivers who get confused by traffic signs at an intersection, and stop to read them all, causing other drivers to lower their car windows and give them the "one-finger salute."
- I slow down in the carpool lane when I get to a blind curve or a blind hill, because I don't know what's waiting for me that I can't see — maybe a stalled car, maybe a motorcycle cop with a radar gun. But, megabrain behind me doesn't get it, so he shows his displeasure by tailgating me.
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Drivers for whom it's a point of honor never to use their turn signal.
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Drivers who apparently were asleep when the subject of right-of-way was covered in Drivers’ Ed.
- Drivers who make 10 lane changes in 30 seconds, with the result that they get three cars further up the freeway, and will get to work two seconds earlier, while risking their life and the lives of maybe 100 other people.
- Drivers who tailgate or do other dangerous maneuvers close to a loaded tanker truck. If they want to cause a highway conflagration, I wish they'd do it when I'm not around.
- Drivers who prop a newspaper up against their steering wheel and read the paper while driving on the freeway.
- Drivers who turn to look at their passenger while driving on the freeway instead of looking through their windshield.
- Drivers who play music so loud that your car vibrates from the sounds. — They are determined that you should share their ear damage.
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Drivers who drive with their knees — so they can hold a breakfast sandwich in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.
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While I’m waiting to make a left turn at a traffic light, slow drivers coming in the opposite direction without turn signals on who appear to be through traffic, but they make a right turn after making me wait.
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Drivers who don’t know how to drive in the rain. Californians might go almost a year without driving in the rain, and when it comes, they panic and drive faster.
What’s your bad driver anecdote? Please post your story in the Comments section.
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alexandra-t,
I would imagine there are bad drivers everywhere. (Take a look at the third photo in this article...Even donkey cart drivers use their cell phones while on the road!)
May I ask what country you live in? It will be interesting to see where the people who comment upon this article live.
Hi Dasiy - makes me want to not drive! Lol. I know tho - people are crazy!
I know what you mean, RealHousewife. Here's what happened on our way to the gym yesterday:
The local high school had just let out, and there was a lot of traffic on the road. My boyfriend signaled left, moved one lane left, and waved at the driver who had let him into the lane to thank her. (There was enough room. He didn't cut her off, and it was very definitely a "thank you to a courteous driver" wave.)
What did the driver do? She started beeping her car horn. Then, she moved up very quickly behind us, switched lanes, rolled down her car window, and gave us the "one-finger salute."
The driver was a very *hyper* person. We could see that her fingernails were bitten very short and her red nail polish had been partially picked off.
I see where you're coming from Daisy. I would most definitely add people eating/disciplining their children to your awesome list.
What happened to me this morning was when I was driving down the road this woman made a U-turn right before the intersection and it was a two-way road. Thankfully it was early and I could slow down otherwise, it could have ended very differently. It was 9:30am on a Saturday. She shouldn't have been rushing that badly.
Wonderful hub!
Daisy, i live in Asia =P people here drive like hooligans =/
Great hub, and I recognize many of these behaviors here too! Some people use their car as if it was the only important vehicle on the road and probably also use it to get out aggressions out also. I just hate tailgaters, they can get the worst out of me:)) And the things people do while they are driving is amazing; I read an article the other day about a Swede woman who tried to breastfeed her baby while she was driving and that didn't go so well. "Share the road" is a great sign, we should have one in our rear window! Wonderful hub, you covered the topic well! Voted up,
Tina
Alecia,
Thanks for commenting. When we were leaving the gym yesterday, while still in the parking lot, a woman turned right in front of us. She wasn't looking. It's a good thing we were.
Tina,
We lived and worked in Stockholm for six months a few years ago. We were probably the bad drivers there, not being used to driving a vehicle that had a manual transmission. We traveled via the Tunnelbana as much as we could.
I am sure you did your best! How interesting, so you don't usually have a manual transmission in the cars?
Haha, I can so relate! I'm originally from NJ, and know exactly what you mean about NYC. I had to go to San Diego for a conference once and I thought I was going to go on a rampage. Maybe that's why there are so many crazy police chases in CA?
Tina -
Few people have manual transmission cars in the U.S. anymore unless they drive sports care, or there's some specific reason to have them. We drive on the southern california freeways, and there is a wide variation in speeds over a typical trip - your arm would wear out from the frequent shifting!
Dave -
There are crazy car chases out here because there are a lot of crazy people. They all get caught eventually, so I've never understood what the point is.
I go to NJ every now and then.. YIKES.. Washington DC is the worst I have seen as far as traffic. People ride your bumper at 80 mph on the belt way. Baltimore MD is pretty bad too. People are crazy! Great hub and I hope it was cathartic for you!
It isn't so bad here - I avoid it all together by not working at a real job:) LOL
I was on the way to the hospital once with my youngest girl and was upset anyway because she was having a 2nd MRI and they had seen something abnormal in the first one...you know I was a mess and trying to pretend everything was fine. I drove down the highway some man started following me like a mad mad! Giving me the finger and shaking his fist - he followed me all the way to the hospital parking lot...I do not know what I did and even if I did do something accidentally did I derserve that?! OMG! I found some huge man and parked next to him after that man followed me through the lot with my little girl in my car. I asked him to please walk me to security and then the man took off. It was so scary! And the whole while - trying to act like everything was fine so as not to upset my girl:) yes...I have had some unfun experiences!
Great article and so true. If you think traffic in Manhattan or anywhere else in NYC is bad, try doing it with a fire truck responding to a call. By the way, you left one out, the woman who insist on putting their makeup on while driving down the highway. I mean, if you are late for an appointment or work, take the extra time at home to put your makeup on before hitting the road. I mean you already late, It's not like time will travel backwards for you because you are doing your makeup while driving and make you on time,No, you will still be late.
Tammy -
Another east coast city that's iffy traffic-wise is Boston. My bf remembers a business trip there where he got on a freeway going from Logan airport into the city - he kept waiting to see freeway exits, and there weren't any! It wasn't like LA where there's an exit every mile or so. He was funneled into downtown Boston, and then came to a point where the road splits in four directions, one's a tunnel, and there are no understandable signs! He finally got to his appointment in a suburb west of Boston. Then he had to drive back on the Mass Pike in a snowstorm in a rental car, and his windshield wipers went out! He had to reach outside and manually move the wipers and drive at the same time!
Kelly -
Yes, the worst thing is to be hounded by one of those driver nut cases when you already have plenty to worry about. I always try to get out of the way of speeders when I can, because I figure maybe they're going to some kind of emergency.
AmericanView -
I heard that firefighters have some kind of electronic device that they can trigger a red light in all directions so that they can get through intersections easier. I really can't stand it when one can hear the approaching siren, and people just keep driving - maybe they're deaf.
I think I passed at least 2 dozen drivers in a 5 mile drive who were on their cell phones. So much for obeying the law. About 6 of them were not paying attention and crossed over into my lane without signaling. Everyone thinks they're "Superman". My honey is a retired firefighter who would show me pictures of people who died from texting or talking on the phone while driving. If people only knew! Great job on the hub. Voted up!
Lisa
Lisa,
The problem is that sometimes, people ... just ... don't ... think.
On which California freeway did you see so many people using their cell phones?
Wow! I didn't know California drivers were so bad! I thought NY had the most dangerous drivers. Be safe...say NO to Road Rage!
Thanks for your comments and concern, Sunshine. I think there are so many bad drivers in California because everything is spread out over great distances, and people are always rushing to get where they're going.
Actually, I think drivers in California are probably some of the best in the world. But Voting this Up and Useful.
Aurelio,
Thanks for commenting, but...I thought we lived in the same county!?!
Seriously, though, there are good drivers in California...there are also bad ones when you're commuting in the morning from Orange County to either Los Angeles County or San Bernardino County.
I hate bad drivers!! My boyfriend and I always talk about what the person is doing wrong so that we can pay better attention to ourselves... we like to think of it as improvement venting :-) After all if we are better aware of what makes us angry about bad drivers hopefully we will be less likely to do the same thing. You did an excellent job of laying out some popular and annoying mistakes that bad drivers make... all around the U.S! Great hub and very interesting and funny and entertaining!!
mythicalstorm273,
It's nice to meet you. I'm glad you enjoyed my article. Unfortunately, there are bad drivers everywhere. I've traveled to more than 25 countries, and I've seen bad drivers in many of them.
OMG I love this. And you'd think, since there's no mass transit in Ca, they'd be especialy good drivers. NOT. I have family there, and it seems as if ALL day every day, EVERY hour, 24x7 is rush hour. And yet, everyone's so nanchallent, and layed back about the whole thing. Meanwhile, I'm pulling my hair out, being a native, high strung NYer. I don't get it....but I so get this hub. Voted up.
Jacy,
Thanks for commenting. I think I would rather drive in Manhattan than in downtown Los Angeles.
There are Amtrak trains and Metrolink trains and limited stop buses for commuting into Los Angeles, but many people still prefer to drive. I've worked in downtown Los Angeles, and I took the train and then a subway to work. By taking the train, I could sleep while I was commuting.
Couldn't agree with you more, Daisy! I, too, learned to drive in NJ and NYC, and my models were taxi drivers! I lived in LA for two years, and never got used to the innane driving practices on the freeways.
Just to add another gripe about drivers in general: those who swerve left to make a right hand turn. I understand this when it comes to a semi, but not to a sedan!
Super read!
It all just seems kind of backward there. No? Well traffic is hellish, no matter where it is. I'm bad, I have no patience.
Atlanta GA.and Washington Dc are the two most terrible drivers for me.. so i moved to the country.. to get away from the drivers. and now they are following me.. this is a great hub.
voted way up
debbie
Sherri.
Thanks so much for your input. I just thought of something else..Drivers at a four-way stop who go out of turn. This can cause some terrible accidents.
Jacy,
The problem with driving in Greater Los Angeles is that everything is so spread apart. People don't leave enough time to get where they're going, so they often drive wrecklessly in order to reach their destination on time.
Debbie,
I haven't been to Atlanta, but I know what you mean about driving in Washington, D.C. With so many one-way streets, drivers can easily become confused.
Good one, Daisy! I see this all the time at an intersection near my home. I keep thinking I'll suggest the local PD put an unmarked car out there...they'd make plenty of money for the township.
There's an old joke I'm remembering about lousy drivers: He got his driver's license at Woolworth's. Well, Woolworth's is now gone, but we've got WalMart now.
Sherri,
Your comment caused me to recall something...whenever we shop at WalMart, we park at the far end of the parking lot. We've had too many accident near-misses when we've parked close to the store.
I grew up in Chicago and have seen it all when it comes to bad driving. Now we live in Milwaukee. The one bad habit we see consistently is drivers speeding through yellow and red lights. My fear is that I'll get rear ended for stopping when the person behind me doesn't. Driving too fast in parking lots, not using turn signals, and using cell phones while driving are other driving pet peeves of mine.
Rose,
Thanks for commenting. What I've seen happen is the driver ahead of us on a local road speeding up and going through an intersection right before the light turn red. Almost every time, we catch up with that driver at the next traffic light.
Is it legal to use a cell phone while driving in Wisconsin?
Another awesome and unique hub Daisy. Enjoyed it
John
Thanks so much, John. I'm glad you enjoy my writing.
I have horrible drivers here in the Fraser Valley and in particular near the hospital here in Chilliwack. Pedestrians need to assume that they are invisible to drivers. I've ranted about drivers where I live on HP many times.
Flora,
Thanks so much for commenting. One photo I used in this article was a Canadian scene...the confusing street signs.
Have you see anything that complicated in the Fraser Valley?
This should be required reading in driver's ed courses. Haha. I love the Rio Linda reference. Hehe. This is hilarious! Voted up, funny and SHARING.
Cindy,
Thanks for commenting. I got the Rio Linda reference from a radio program my boyfriend listens to.
Not where I live, no. But the closer you get to Vancouver, yes.
Flora,
The street sign says Gipps Street. I wonder where that is.
Daisy, I hate driving and it's mostly because people are f ing stupid. They either drive too slow, they brake at odd times, they don't use turn signals or they refuse to allow you to merge (I've noticed the bigger the truck, the less likely they are to let you int he lane, which furthers my theory about men and trucks...)
Great hub, Daisy!
Jason,
Thanks for commenting. You once mentioned that you've traveled to 49 of the 50 states. Are there any states that stand out as having especially bad drivers?
daisy, it depends on what u mean by bad... west Virginia is terrible, but washington drivers are slow and aggressive... which is annoying. I used to live in vegas and i think drivers in vegas and california are great... they use the right amount of aggression
Justin,
You're correct about driving in California and Las Vegas...You have to be a slight- to moderately-aggressive driver in order to survive.
Omg Daisy since I live in Texas I'd have to say Houston is the worse place to drive, it's insane. I went to visit my son up there about a month ago and it was crazy!! He's been up there almost a year and he just fits right in, everybody is driving like a bat outta hell, forget that! I'm happy in my little big town in Corpus Christi, I was so happy to be back lol, great hub :) ge
Gloria,
Thanks so much for reading my Hub and commenting. I've come to the conclusion that, unfortunately, there are bad drivers everywhere.
A great hub, I laughed out loud, as I also have all of these peeves with drivers around me :)
My girlfriend and I recently moved to a new country, and I am amazed at how these people manage to disregard almost all of the rules and regulations you are supposed to follow while on the road, and without causing that many accidents. Almost none of them use turn signals, they have no idea how to behave in an intersection if the traffic light is out of order, they either drive fast like maniacs or resemble snails in speeds they reach on the road...
I'm glad I don't have a car right now, as I would probably lose my mind every time I sat behind the wheel...
Nemanja,
It's nice to "see" you again. Thanks for commenting. There are bad drivers everywhere.
The two places in which I personally encountered the worst drivers was in French Polynesia and the Indian subcontinent.
in Oregon, people drive ridiculously. Parking lots are even irritating. I hate driving here... that's why I take the bus or train :-)
Justin,
Thanks for visiting again. When I worked in Los Angeles, I took a train from the city in which I live to Union Station in Los Angeles. Then I took a subway from Union Station to my office. It was so much easier to do this than to drive.
Just as awesome as the first time I read it! I still think we should all say "NO to Road Rage" :)
After reading this I am glad I don't drive; I think your sense of humour is an important asset to you Daisy, especially on the highways and byways of the USA!
Sunshine,
Thanks for visiting again. Road rage is really ridiculous.
Julie,
Thanks for reading another of my Hubs and commenting in it.
In the United States, most people obtain a drivers license as soon as they're of the legal age to drive in the state in which they live. Why don't most people in England obtain a drivers license as soon as they're of the legal driving age?
I can actually drive Daisy, I passed my test when I was 23 but I live within 20 minutes of work so I sold my car and walk everywhere now if I am able. I have never regretted it but I can imagine than in most cities in the States, you would need a car. I once stayed in a place called Pacific Grove in California and went to the store during the day and there were no pavements along the side of the road - I was completely flummoxed by this! I have no plans to get back behind the wheel unless I absolutely have to.
Julie,
Thanks for visiting again. In Southern California, where I live, it's possible to get by without a car, but it isn't always easy to do so. Everything is built *out* rather than *up* because of the earthquakes.
With some shops, doctors' offices, banks, etc, spread out so far from home, it's very time-consuming to travel by bus for all one's errands.
So funny and so true! My biggest pet peeve is when the speed limit is 50mph and the driver in front of me is going 30...And btw, since you lived in New Jersey at one point, you should agree with me on this: all of this true for Jersey drivers! Even when it's raining, people do the normal speed. Also, in Southern New Jersey, we have this "racing town" called Atco, so a lot of people like to go fast. Just today, someone was doing 90 in a 40. South Jersey loves road rage apparently...I'm literally afraid to see how Southern California is like!
-KD
Rants about the crazy drivers are just endless. This was amusing to read, funny, fun and you have my total approval. I hope the crazies get the message.
West Virginia drivers....the fire truck, truck drivers all honk in unison. Passing fire truck honk honk honk honk and the other one would follow. Almost everyday I used to think so much accidents happening in this place. I asked my husband and he went, "o that! they do that". I am thinking,"is that even allowed?"
And what about those drivers who just decide to go right and then changes plans? (Sure...go ahead buddy)
O and this other thing I noticed is where certain lanes aren't allowed for heavy truck loads, OK...the lane says not allowed but this is the West. Kill me, kill all of us while you're at it. I noticed this happening on several occasions.
Daisy, I really should stop. Thank you =)
Keith,
Thanks for reading and commenting in another of my Hub.
I know exactly what you mean about driving the normal speed on rain-slicked roads. I saw that many times when I lived in New Jersey. People forgot that the rainwater was sitting on top of the oil on the roads, and the driving surface was slippery.
People driving too slow is something that bothers us in Southern California. When we're on a freeway in California (picture the New Jersey Turnpike), and we're driving the speed limit of 65 miles per hour, it drives us crazy to be behind someone who is only driving 50, and we're not able to pass the person.
What's really bad is when we're driving 65 mph, and we're being tailgated by someone who thinks we're driving too slowly. They drive very close behind us, hoping that we'll speed up.
Ava (onlooker),
Thanks for reading and commenting in my Hub. Which drivers do you think are worse...drivers in the United States or drivers in Nepal?
There are crazies and inconsiderate drivers everywhere, you've done a great job of outlining them. I live in NY and have driven in NYC but I have to admit driving in California is like driving on a NASCAR track; s-c-a-r-y.
Voted this up.
Mary,
Thanks for reading my Hub and commenting in it.
What part of of California have you driven in that's like driving on a NASCAR track?
In California, I've experienced inconsiderate drivers and some drivers who think the 65 mile per hour speed limit is too slow, but there are usually too many cars on the road for someone to drive as though they were a NASCAR driver.
alexandra-t Level 1 Commenter 4 months ago
loved this! even though i live in a country thousands of miles away, i experience almost all of your gripes, and i especially hate the 3rd one where drivers will rather risk getting their car scraped then let you get ahead of them.