Bad drivers or just plain stupid?

[ggs04]

Hi Guys n' Gals,

It's finally 2004! Yipee! 

I don't know if it's just me, but there seems to be an increase in really bad drivers on the road nowadays.

I'm from the Boston area and every frekin day when I goto work, all I see and experienced are really bad drivers. From January 2003 to December 2003, I've witnessed some of the most pathetic attempts to to beat the next car to the RED LIGHT!

Morning commute is crazy enough, but is it really that important to beat me or the next driver to the RED LIGHT? Don't get me wrong, I don't drive like an old lady nor am I scared of putting the foot to the petal. Actually, I love speed!

In the last 12 months, I've come to the conclusion that drivers in BMWs', Lexus, and Mercedes-Benz are the most aggressive drivers in and around the Boston area.

It seems like the traffic laws ceased to exist in the minds of these luxury car drivers. They turned when the sign says "Do not turn on red". At a busy intersection, they ignore the STOP sign and speed right ahead...oblivious to the fact that another driver was there first and that driver should be have the right to go first. Their worse actions comes when they are merging from a four lane highway into a 3 lane highway. They would speed up and do a hair pin cut in order to get that much ahead of you.

I've never owned a luxury, but can someone shed some light on me about these pathetic drivers. Is there an unwritten driver's manual out there for luxury car owners that I don't know about? If there is, I want one too! 

Cheers!

[Queen Bee]

Is there an unwritten driver's manual out there for luxury car owners that I don't know about?

It seems that way, doesn't it?!

I thought it was just me... Looks like I'm not the only one that thinks some of the most pathetic drivers are attached to the wheels of the most expensive cars. :\

I haven't experienced this as much in recent days, mainly because I moved to an area where you don't see much of luxury cars (Even though that seems to be changing quite rapidly).

[SensoVision]

never was in US but it seems that folks on luxury cars is problem everythere... When I was in St. Petersburg was almost kicked by jeep while try to cross the street, all cars stopped because of red light red light so I thought it's ok to cross it now but this jeep keep on driving and it doesn't stop even because red light and folks go ahead of him, not sure mabe his brakes was out of order... (policeman was about 20 meters from us, and he just stood still doing nothing about this), I was saved by the local guy who is accomodated to such driving rules...

[Hope]

I have one that beats that.

In washington dc most of the major streets are three lanes in each direction. No one drives in the outter two lanes in some areas.  Having driven very little in the city, I was not aware of this. I used to drive down on the right hand lane since there was no line of traffic. I figured I was smart. I was avoiding the long line that was going under the speed limit.

One day I am driving in the right lane and someone take a right hand turn from the center lane and almost plows into me. It scared the daylights out of me. I really hate driving in DC now because i have found out that this is normal. I am not sure why they do this, but it is so dangerous.

[Jeanne]

I guess those people want to show there pseudo power at the streets. I dont know maybe they want to compensate something with it.
When I was in Istanbul it was awful to cross the streets.
Car drivers screamed used there horns and the traffic light showed you how much time left for crossing the street 
Once there was a police men who tried to control the traffic but i think it was pretty useless because the drivers only did what they want and they even didnt stopped when people crossed the streets.
 

[justjeni]

I just read two articles - well, one was a columnist, but they both were about just this - how taking a drive is no longer a relaxing thing to do; rather it is a nerve wracking experience that makes you long to be back in the comfort of your own home!

[Bad Mark]

Bad Drivers can be reported <a href="http://platewire.com">http://PlateWire.com</a> allows users to report bad or careless drivers!

[Andy]

Well I have owned a luxury car, but it was the result of a long-term goal to own one. So I think I drove respectfully for other road users and simply enjoyed using the vehicle. But other drivers of luxury cars are likely to be aggressive business types who are always charging between appointments and being distracted by phone calls. Surveys have shown that being on the phone is worse than being drunk at the wheel. Of course, richer people will have chaufers to drive them so these people should not be a problem.

The driver that is late for an appointment with a client and angry is going to be a menace on the road IMHO. They will have the power and bulk to intimidate people to get out of their way, just like they do in business to get to the top of the corporate ladder.

The worst example I saw had an ambulance behind them with the sirens in full blast while they were blocking the road and fumbling around on the floor of their car for a CD or something  Actually, I think the ambulance driver may have been at fault by not shunting them out of the way. I heard that if you block the path of an emergency vehicle you can expect your vehicle to be forcibly moved, at least in the UK.

[TexasLady]

The law here is that if you hear an emergency vehicle coming, you must pull to the side of the road and come to a full stop.    Most people seem to abide by it but it is scary to see the ambulance or fire truck trying to go through a busy intersection, using one of the center lanes to make a turn because traffic is stopped in the other two lanes.   They just barrels on by the stopped cars and hope the traffic with the green light follows the rules and lets them through.   

But my biggest pet peeve is the motorcycles roaring past me on the  highway.   The other day I was driving 70 mph in the center lane (safest in my opinion).    Suddenly I heard this roaring noise coming up along side me on the right hand side.   The motorcycle passed me, cut in front to the left lane, and then roared on down the road.    I estimate he was going 90-100 mph because he was passing cars right and left that had passed me at 70.   

I can always envision them  misjudging and falling on the highway at those tremendous speeds.

[Hope]

There are a lot of motorcycle riders out here who do the same thing. It is insane. They go well over 100mph at times. I have see the results of them misjudging distances or just losing control of their bikes. It is disheartening to see what happens. These are usually younger drivers who think they are immortal or that it would never happen to them.

[Andy]

I am one of these motorcyle riders. You don't fall off in a straight line unless a car turns in front of you. Bikes are designed to travel at very high speeds since they are built on race technology.

They have 2 wheels that act like gyroscopes to keep them level. If a dumb car driver who can't be bothered to check their mirror before lurching sideways into the path of an oncoming bike that is making forward progress rather than clogging up the road and filling the atmosphere with fumes smashes into them then it is entirely the car zombie's fault IMHO.

Think about it, bikes are small and they get you from A to B quickly and efficiently. But the car is just a big heap of metal guzzling gas and getting 1 person nowhere. 

[TexasLady]

Whooooeeeee... speaks the motorcycle enthusiast, Andy.    I have no problem with motorcycles as such; only with some of the idiots that drive them.

I would never deliberately swerve into or in front of a motorcycle, but if they come roaring up beside me at a very high rate of speed, I may not even see them until they are RIGHT THERE.    Before changing lanes I check mirrors and over my shoulder, so hopefully will never hit someone.    (Famous last words, lol)

But when they are grossly exceeding the speed of the cars on the road (on highways here in No. Texas that's at least 70mph), swerving back and forth between three lanes in front of and behind those "big heap(s) of metal guzzling gas" seems to me they are just asking for it!   

Just my humble opinion of course....     

[Hope]

I love motorcycles myself. I am actually saving to get one. I know that most riders are safe. It is the ones that think they will live forever that scare me. They go to fast.

The biggest problem with motorcycles is that car and truck drivers don't pay close enough attention to them. Just this week, this problem was brought to the headlines here in the US. The Quarterback for the Superbowl Champs Pittsburg Steelers, Ben Roethlisberger was in a serious motorcycle accident.

[Andy]

The biggest problem with motorcycles is that car and truck drivers don't pay close enough attention to them.

That's my beef...

A lot of bikers are killed by car drivers that don't make adequate observations when changing lanes and turning. I have had several cars treat me like I am invisible. Even when I thought I was looking them in the eye, they still pulled out from a side road into my path.

swerving back and forth between three lanes in front of and behind

That is a problem of disrespect for other road users. I think in Europe this is less common since we must overtake on the outside lanes. And in congested traffic, it is expected that bikes (legally) filter between the outer most 2 queues or vehicles.

Experience of driving helps you alot as a biker since you can anticipate driver behavior and ride defencively plus the superior acceleration and braking of a bike compared to average cars can make them relatively safe to ride.

big heap(s) of gas guzzling metal

- quotes like this add interest to forums and spark debate  p.s. I owned a Jaguar XJ6 4.0 so I used to drive just such a vehicle 

[TexasLady]

Andy, I do have to confess that I really envy motorcyclists when I'm stuck in a long line on the highway or at an intersection.

I mean the way they are able to swerve around and through the stalled cars and get way ahead just causes my frustration and envy to increase.   

But that doesn't mean I want to get my own motorcycle... I'm too chicken!