Frustrated: Rules of Driving

[printcraft]

Carmel has solved all that with Roundabouts, dontchaknow?

ARGH!

Yield signs mean what??? Yield to oncoming traffic - Right?

Q: If there is no traffic what do you do?

A: Come to a complete stop anyhow like it was a 4 way stop and then proceed through the roundabout.

(at least that is how they handle it up here in Kokomo)

 

[IndyBeerman]

Try to understand what you read.

I DO let them over.

BUT THAT IS INDEPENDENT OF THE FACT THAT THEIR SIGNAL HAVING BEEN ON IS NO EXCUSE TO PUT PEOPLE'S LIVES AT RISK BY CUTTING THEM OFF AT THE LAST SECOND IN ORDER TO NOT LOSE A LITTLE BIT OF TIME.

NOW DO YOU HAVE IT STRAIGHT?

I fully understand what I'm reading, you know why those guys do that, it's because the parade of supreme idiot beings (I'm not saying you are one of them) that while driving fail to understand that this guys been trying to get over and they feel that they own the road. Their time is more important than his, I see it EVERY F-ing day. Everyone's so hell bent on the me first thing they can't slow down a bit to let a guy merge.

It all reverts back to this, and I will say this till the cows come home to milk themselves...

If everyone would just leave a little earlier, pay full attention to the task at hand (driving), be polite, make sure there is appropriate space between everyone and follow the speed limit. Trucks and cars could co exist on the roadways with no problem. but that will never happen.

If the above was adhered to just 50% of the time, the drop in accidents would be huge, backups would diminish and lives would be saved, but it's won't ever happen in my lifetime, I'm losing faith in the human population more and more each day.

 

[jbombelli]

I fully understand what I'm reading, you know why those guys do that, it's because the parade of supreme idiot beings (I'm not saying you are one of them) that while driving fail to understand that this guys been trying to get over and they feel that they own the road. Their time is more important than his, I see it EVERY F-ing day. Everyone's so hell bent on the me first thing they can't slow down a bit to let a guy merge.

It all reverts back to this, and I will say this till the cows come home to milk themselves...

If everyone would just leave a little earlier, pay full attention to the task at hand (driving), be polite, make sure there is appropriate space between everyone and follow the speed limit. Trucks and cars could co exist on the roadways with no problem. but that will never happen.

If the above was adhered to just 50% of the time, the drop in accidents would be huge, backups would diminish and lives would be saved, but it's won't ever happen in my lifetime, I'm losing faith in the human population more and more each day.

You evidently DIDN'T understand what you were reading when you challenged me, implying I was being inconsistent, by putting two unrelated statements together. "Which is it?" Remember that?

If everyone leaves a little bit earlier it would do nothing to relieve congestion or risk of accident. You'd have all the same people on the road doing the same things. They'd just be doing it earlier.

The flip side to all those idiots thinking their time is more important than yours, is you thinking your time is more important than theirs. To you, your time is obviously more important than theirs, hence cutting people off in order to not lose a few minutes on your drive, and to them their time is more important than yours, hence their not letting you over and losing a few minutes of THEIR time, stuck behind you while you take ten minutes to pass three or four other trucks.

Being polite goes a long way. On both sides.

 

[Mackey]

Well, I just view stop lights as suggestions and guideline for the intellectually impaired.

 

[1911 DeadHead]

Wow this should be retitled INGO Thread Rage. Zing!

 

[catielynnb]

Wow this should be retitled INGO Thread Rage. Zing!

Oh goodness, what have I started.... O_O

 

[IndyBeerman]

Wow this should be retitled INGO Thread Rage. Zing!

Ya, people who drive 4 wheel vehicles vs. people who drive 4-18 wheel vehicles.

I just wish once people could sit up where we sit and see the world from our view, they'd earn a whole new respect on driving down the road, after all I get to see it from both vantage points and I'm embarrassed @ times to even be behind the wheel of either one by the way some people drive.

If everyone leaves a little bit earlier it would do nothing to relieve congestion or risk of accident. You'd have all the same people on the road doing the same things. They'd just be doing it earlier.

Yep, you're right, same amount of people on the road, but ya know what, they would be in less of a rush to get from point A to B, no frantic panic looking at the dash clock, no running up the rear of the vehicle in front of them pounding on the steering wheel because of the 10 seconds it will take for the person in front of them to make a proper lane change so they can continue on down the road 20 mph over the speed limit endangering me, you, someone's grandma and the soccer mom in the van with her kids.

That comment I said up there about me wishing people could see the view from our world, I see it every DAY, every HOUR I'm on the road. I see the peeved off guy that's too impatient to wait 20 seconds to reach his exit so he zips out to the 3rd lane passes 4 cars/trucks running upwards to 80-85 mph and cuts across 3 lanes and onto the exit ramp because of those 20 little seconds.

I see more stupid crazy driving stunts/crap or what ever you want to call it in one weeks driving than most people see in a lifetime, all for what, 1200 feet of concrete real estate that's not even theirs.

When I'm driving I don't read the paper, text, browse, look away from the road more than a second or what ever else these idiots are doing. I look in each mirror at least 6-8 times a minute to know my surroundings and I'm looking 1/2 to 1 mile up the road trying to be aware of what's going on in front of me. I try to maintain a safe distance of the vehicle in front of me because I'm pulling 52- 80,000 pounds of weight behind me and I get some fool that wants the 100 foot safe barrier I put between me and the soccer mom, so now I have to slow down and create another 100 feet, and so on, and so on, and so on, all for the sake of being a safe driver and avoiding the idiots on the roadway so I can make it home each night to be with my wife.

You see the vicious cycle here, this is no experiment, it's real life, leaving earlier will not end in the same result. There would not be a need to scream down the road, be disrespectful and inconsiderate because they would not be in a rush. It's all really too simple, I wish a few hundred thousand people each day would try this amazing concept.

Now you might think I'm a crabby ass bastard, I'm not, I enjoy life just as much as the next person who enjoys it. But, just like you, I don't want my life decided by some fool who can't drive.

People please leave 5-10 minutes earlier so there is no rush, it could safe a life or life's, it just might be ours.

I'm done, stick a fork in me. (sub stick for fork)

 

[churchmouse]

I see all sides to the ongoing argument as I pound the highways and byways all day long. I see it all, every day. I am in my mirrors as much as my windshield if I am caught in a group of migrating hens. You know, those who will pull out to pass and slow down when comfortably in the hammer lane. There will be 8 to 12 cars all jammed up and slowing everything down. I casually roll up to the least safe distance and roll there until they wake up, look up from their I-phone or the DVD is over. They will pull back over and when you attempt to proceed they speed up and run on your door handle in the blind spot. It is then that if possible the accelerator is pushed closer to the floor and I escape said pack of hens for the open road. Once clear of them I reduce speed and they fall away out of my mirrors. Freaking sheeple.
I will usually let someone in if they are signaling but I get a bit miffed by those who jamb up the left lane past a line exiting the freeway only to demand to cut in right before the exit. I see them coming, they pass up holes in the line and when they try to cut me off, well, say what you will about me, they do not get in. If they are running out of state plates and could be confused, different story. This is the same deal in construction zones. I see them coming and they jump in. If everyone was casual about this the lines would flow so much better. Those of you who do that....Bad, Bad, Bad.

 

[catielynnb]

I have another one to add to my first list....

People who go 15-20mph UNDER the posted speed limit. Specifically on two lane roads.... ESPECIALLY when I can't pass them.

And

When on a back road, that's a common enough road but winds through the country, and oncoming traffic is PASSING in a NO PASSING ZONE..... making me have to slam on my breaks so as not to be in an accident. GAH!

 

[RockofStrength]

I have another one to add to my first list....

People who go 15-20mph UNDER the posted speed limit. Specifically on two lane roads.... ESPECIALLY when I can't pass them.

And

When on a back road, that's a common enough road but winds through the country, and oncoming traffic is PASSING in a NO PASSING ZONE..... making me have to slam on my breaks so as not to be in an accident. GAH!

Or when they're enjoying the sights from the middle of both lanes, coming over a hill/around a very sharp curve. Nearly died once from a moron doing that. I'm always paranoid because of how small the lanes are on country roads, but these folks treat it like an empty 465.

 

[Fletch]

The majority of my frustration is reserved for people who don't know how fast they want to go. I drive with cruise control, and when I come up behind someone and slide into the left lane to pass, it seems invariably they will speed up to keep me from passing. So once they're back ahead of me, I'll slip back behind them again until they lose interest in what they're doing, get on their cell phone, gawk at the scenery, or whatever, and slow down again. I'll pull back in the left lane to go around, and they suddenly realize they're poking along and jam on the gas again. Pick a speed and stick with it!

 

[$mooth]

Funeral processions get me EVERY FREAKING TIME. I was in three in the last six months in Lafayette/West Lafayette for my grandparents. We left from Hippensteel Funeral Home and went to Tippecanoe Memory Gardens... I understand that passes by Greek Row for Purdue and all that, but we had so many people zoom past, on one we even had a guy run a red light and about kill us! One of the times we had a construction crew actually stop traffic, take their hats off and bow their heads as we went by... It was intense.

I'll yield to funeral processions when going the same direction or at traffic lights, but what is the law for driving past a funeral procession going opposite directions?

On that note, I almost never see people leave room for emergency vehicles traveling the opposite direction. I thought you had to leave turns/entrances clear since you don't know where they are headed.

 

[singlestacksig]

in some locals the driving law requires a car to turn into the farthest out side lane when turning onto a road..
if turning right, you would go to right lane.. if turning left, you would still go in right lane..
some areas require the turning car to stay in first lane..: right turn right lane, left turn left lane..
Indiana just had a court case about that and the Indiana law only applies to right turns..
if turning left there is no lane requirement..

but you should expect some driver will follow the turn to outside lane rule..

 

[MikeDVB]

Want to know the ones that really grind my gears? (Yes, I said grind my gears)

1. When people turn left in front of you and you're on a motorcycle.
2. When people cut you off, while on a motorcycle.
3. When people try merging into your line, where YOU are, and you're on a motorcycle.
4. When they look right at you, and still don't see you.

I ride regularly, and I see all kinds of idiotic things, but those are the few that get to me the most.

Here is a post I wrote last year 10/09/2011 on another forum I frequent:

So my wife and I have been riding together for a bit (on separate cycles) and we do realize that the biggest danger out there is in fact, all of the cagers who are not paying attention to what is going on around them.

This happened in Central Indiana about 15 miles south of Indianapolis - if you're from the area you'll probably recognize the location but if not, it's ok.

We were headed down US 31 South in Greenwood just before where Madison ends into US 31 in front of the Marsh. Madison reaches US31 at about a 45 degree angle. (Here is a Google Maps link: Madison Avenue and US 31, 46143 - Google Maps )

A car from Madison crossed US31 South to go into the Marsh parking lot across the street (I can only assume through a red light, as we had green going south on US31) right in front of my wife. We were doing 45 to 50 MPH (the speed limit is 45) and my wife had to apply her brakes HARD as she literally had no time to swerve or do anything but apply the brakes. To be honest I'm not even sure how she reacted so quickly - but thankfully she did.

I watched as her back end came up off the ground a good two to two and a half feet from her emergency braking. She did use both front and back brakes, however, with the speed at which she had to stop there was simply no way the back end was not going to come up. She did not skid the tire, she applied just the perfect amount of braking force smoothly enough, yet quick, to stop the cycle faster than I've ever seen any cycle stopped in my life.

My wife came within INCHES of hitting this car doing 45, and had her response been a millisecond or two slower she easily would have hit this car in it's side doing 45 to 50 which, most likely based on the situation, would have been deadly.

After the car continued crossing the road and my wife narrowly escaped this accident we proceeded to go down the road and turn into the second entrance of the Marsh.

We quickly found the car and my wife got there before me and rolled up with her helmet on but face shield open and, adrenaline still going for sure, yelled "WHAT THE **** WERE YOU THINKING???".

I rolled up a second or two later as I was following her and being cautious as usual.

I rolled up quick to the passenger side of the car, put the stand down, hit the kill switch, and pulled off my helmet all in one deft movement (I probably couldn't do it again if I tried). I then proceeded to walk up to the car and talked to the driver, who appeared to be a 16~18(ish) young woman and her passenger who appeared to be a young male in about the same age range.

I was obviously upset but did my best to be stern without yelling, cussing, etc, as it wasn't going to help the situation. I asked the driver if she realized that she just almost killed somebody and at this point she was crying pretty good. I spent about a good 5 minutes explaining to her what she did wrong, that she needs to pay attention, how her car, herself, and her passenger likely would have been fine while my wife likely would have been dead and the motorcycle utterly destroyed.

At the end of the day, my wife and myself have learned some valuable lessons and one of those being that while we are always cautions, you can never be cautious enough. We saw the car at the intersection as we came up but we never expected it to go ahead and take off and pull out in front of us as we had the green light.

Based upon this young girl's reaction to everything I told her, I do honestly believe that she has learned a very valuable life lesson. Her passenger didn't say a single word until the end when my wife asked the driver, out of curiosity, how old she was. The male passenger got an attitude and I told him that my wife had just almost died and she can say whatever the f*ck she wants and if he has a problem with that, then he can step out of the car and have a problem with me.

Needless to say I'm 6'1", 240 Pounds, and was wearing full gear so I wouldn't say I looked like the type of guy this kid wanted to mess with. He apologized, I shook his hand and then told the female driver that I hope that she has learned a valuable lesson, put my gear back on, and we rode off.

Oh, also, another driver did witness the entire incident and pulled into the lot about 2 minutes into my lecture of the driver to check and make sure that everybody involved was OK. The guy was amazing as many would have just kept going as there was no actual collision. Whoever you are, I appreciate you taking the time to stop and make sure we were ok.

Everybody, please be careful out there - I could very easily be posting about how my wife was involved in a deadly motorcycle accident in front of my very eyes but thankfully that wasn't what happened today.

If you have any questions at all about the situation, by all means feel free but if you're going to be negative I'll go ahead and tell you to shut the f*ck up ahead of time.

Be safe, friends.

 

[$mooth]

Are you talking about the ones actually in the lanes or the ones that try to ride on the shoulder? I have no problem with cyclists that are in the lanes. That is where they are supposed to be.

However, I HATE it when I am in downtown Indy and have the hipsters on their stupid one gear bicycles that want the right to be in traffic lanes, but want to follow no form of traffic laws. They don't stay stopped for lights. They don't signal when turning. They go the wrong way on one way streets. Ugh.

Exactly. They are allowed a whole lane for even one cycle. but, often they want the best of both worlds and ignore the rest of the traffic laws (and hand signals)

 

[catielynnb]

Want to know the ones that really grind my gears? (Yes, I said grind my gears)

1. When people turn left in front of you and you're on a motorcycle.
2. When people cut you off, while on a motorcycle.
3. When people try merging into your line, where YOU are, and you're on a motorcycle.
4. When they look right at you, and still don't see you.

I ride regularly, and I see all kinds of idiotic things, but those are the few that get to me the most.

Here is a post I wrote last year 10/09/2011 on another forum I frequent:

My father and grandfather both ride motorcycles frequently. It was ingrained in me when I started driving that I was to pay attention and be aware of the possibilities of other motorcycles on the road.

At least your wife was okay. Still scary though.

 

[JettaKnight]

I'll yield to funeral processions when going the same direction or at traffic lights, but what is the law for driving past a funeral procession going opposite directions?

Nothing. You should stop to allow a funeral procession to proceed unimpeded, but you should not stop other traffic flows 'out of respect'. Also, don't merge into the middle of a funeral procession either.

On that note, I almost never see people leave room for emergency vehicles traveling the opposite direction. I thought you had to leave turns/entrances clear since you don't know where they are headed.

This ^^ Always expect an emergency vehicle to do the unexpected - GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!

But, don't pull over if there's no possible way you're potentially impeding the vehicle (divided lanes, etc.)

 

[JettaKnight]

I see, you mean someone running a red light and turning in front of you. I was just thinking that turning left on red is sometimes just fine. You can turn left on a red light from a one-way street onto another one-way street here in Indiana.

But why don't people know or follow this?

I do have to go through red lights when on my motorcycle because the left lane sensor rarely detects it. I will wait until I'm sure the sensor has obviously failed, then proceed when I'm absolutely sure it's clear and won't confuse a fellow motorist.

And my gripe:
Passing the thick stop line at intersections. It's easy people - stop behind the line and don't keep easing forward until the light is green and the intersection is clear. You're not going to trick the automatic signal by slowly rolling forward.

 

[catielynnb]

And my gripe:
Passing the thick stop line at intersections. It's easy people - stop behind the line and don't keep easing forward until the light is green and the intersection is clear. You're not going to trick the automatic signal by slowly rolling forward.

I love that one. People always keep creeping, and creeping, and creeeeeeping... morons. Considering we've mostly moved from pressure plate triggers to induction triggers in stoplights moving would only make it hold longer. Sit right on that plate or in the middle of the circuit and you'll be through the light just like you should.

Also, unrelated to drivers specifically, stoplights that only hold for 30 seconds one way and over two minutes the other way, when both directions are equally busy.

 

[ItIsWhatItIs]

Gotta agree with the rigs in the left lane rant. also people who are in separate lanes holding up traffic. also, i recently had a whole caravan of vehicles (6 or 7 total) who were obviously loaded down and travelling together ALL pull out in front of me on a highway, slowing me and several cars behind me down to 25 mph while they all got up to speed. they couldn't have waited for a break in traffic??? or, heaven forbid, write down directions so they could all find the destination independently?? i also wanna give a special mention to people who brake while going down hill. that is free mpg's you're wasting! its ok to let the car roll up to +5 mph over the speed limit, and save your brakes. breakneck hill, sure, ok to slow down. Long gentle hill, let er roll!