What is your driving-related pet peeve?

Originally Posted by Capobranco

Four lane road - two lanes in each direction -

Red light ahead - right lane has a number of cars waiting - Left lane has only one car in it - a Prius - and yes the Prius does not have its turn signal on - so you scoot in back of the Prius in the left lane.

Light turns green - all the guys in the right lane are proceeding - except the guy in front of you who moves forward at a glacial pace a couple of inches and WHAM turns on his left turn signal...

You mutter some profanity but you are screwed - the traffic in the right lane sees your predicament, but its pay back time - time to speed up and lock out the selfish "hot shot" in the BMW.

So the light changes red - the glacier is still in front of you - you have your right turn signal on - humbly pleading for mercy but inexplicably - the traffic in the right lane has grown to epic proportions and every driver is in a Prius....hopeless....

Did he miss the light?

Yeah, I've seen that movie.

Originally Posted by pman81

Here in Albuquerque, people have a hard time staying in their lanes when there are multiple turning lanes. Dashed lines mean nothing to these people, and if you honk at somebody for turning into your lane, YOU are the a-hole who honked. Everybody always says the drivers in their city are the worst, but I'd venture a guess that New Mexico drivers are at least in the top 5

One of my peeves as well. Along these lines, we have many six lane boulevards in my area (three lanes each way), and many include two left turn lanes. In other words, two lanes turning left into three lanes. I don't understand why the right-side left turning vehicle often feels the need go to the middle lane after the turn, squeezing the inside vehicle into the tightest turn possible and wasting the available space in the right lane after the turn.

Originally Posted by TXPearl

One of my peeves as well. Along these lines, we have many six lane boulevards in my area (three lanes each way), and many include two left turn lanes. In other words, two lanes turning left into three lanes. I don't understand why the right-side left turning vehicle often feels the need go to the middle lane after the turn, squeezing the inside vehicle into the tightest turn possible and wasting the available space in the right lane after the turn.

Actually, the guy in the right lane is legally (at least in many states) supposed to go into the middle lane, and then signal before going into the right most lane. If you can't stay in your lane, you've got issues.

Originally Posted by cwsqbm

Actually, the guy in the right lane is legally (at least in many states) supposed to go into the middle lane, and then signal before going into the right most lane. If you can't stay in your lane, you've got issues.

Appreciate your input but no need to be a dick about it since that's not how it works in my state (and probably many others). In fact, some intersections are marked to direct the outside turning vehicle to the far right lane. These tend to be turn on green arrow only intersections.

A corresponding pet peeve would be the driver in the inside lane swinging out as if he's the only turn lane. As a general rule, I view the center lane as a buffer lane unless marked otherwise.

Few things...

First one is people who ride your ass, especially when you're going 5 over already. Especially true in the city or a road where cops sit like crazy. I usually step on the brake just a bit so the tail lights go on, and if that doesnt work i give a little puff of black smoke to give the "back off" message. If that doesnt work, they become engulfed in black smoke. Usually they back off then. If not, the smoking continues at my pleasure

Second, when people cut me off. I DD a 7k pound dually truck, with no ABS. While it stops good, it is not a BMW by any means. Cut me off and your ass is grass, for the simple fact that I cannot stop in time. Once I had a 21' trailer behind me, total weight around 10k, and out of nowhere an old man cuts out of the lane he was in (it was stopped from being backed up) to my lane which was moving. I locked up all 6 wheels and the wheels on one axle of the trailer. Keep in mind there are people on my left and right side, and the guy who cut me off is clueless to what was going on

Third, people who have no respect for truck/trailer combos. Ya know, cause when you strap 10k behind you, you dont lose ANY acceleration, and your braking distance doesnt increase at all. Its only 10k pounds. Almost turned a Civic hatch into a pancake once when he cut me off on the freeway, him going 40 me going 65 with a fully loaded 24' enclosed. And people who dont realize turns become wide when you add that much length to your vehicle. Or people who drift into your lane in a multi-lane turn while you're making said wide turn. Or.... i could do this all day, unfortunately....

Originally Posted by LegendaryItalia

People who don't understand what it means when you flash your lights at them from behind.

People do understand, but they are following the LAW if they are going speed limit already and if they are in the right most lane, you are really morally wrong for doing that. If they are in the left lane, but are passing another car in the right lane, they have EVERY RIGHT to do so without risking getting a ticket. I have NEVER gotten a speeding ticket in my lifetime and I am 35 yrs old. WHY? I rarely have ever sped before. I have before, I am not a saint, but I try 99.9% of the times to follow the law unless it's absolutely necessary like if I leave at my normal time that I am already 20-25 minutes before my work starts, but there's a huge abnormal for some weird reason traffic jam, I have sped to get to work on time, but that's ALL. A LOT of people speed EVERY SINGLE DAY and that is LAW BREAKING just as much as I did when I did, but the thing is, I try do follow the law, which flashing your high beams is *****AGAINST********* THE LAW!!

I don't care how much you are flashing me, I ain't moving to get a ticket for *YOU*, NOR am I going to SLOW DOWN just so you can NOT FOLLOW THE LAW LIKE I HAVE TO!! HECK WITH THAT SELFISH JERK!!

The other day I was on the interstate behind some a$$hat in the passing lane doing 65 in a 70. I couldn't pass on the right because it was congested but the car in front of me could. I flashed my lights and saw her look in the rear view mirror then she proceeded to look in all directions like she was looking for a fire or a space shuttle or a dingo on the side of the road.

This I can 100% understand is REALLY FRUSTRATING for people not to go AT LEAST speed limit, I will give you that, but if they are going at least speed limit, DO NOT FLASH THEM if they are passing people up already or even more so if they are in the right lane. I had people honk on me before for going speed limit. WHY? It's THE LAW!!

I guess my biggest pet peeve is people being selfish on the road.

Selfish is BLOCKING TRAFFIC to get into a lane. I CANNOT STAND THAT or digging through your car or purse at a light that turns green not paying attention or even in the back of your car even. Once, a lady went in the BACK of her SUV at the light and all the traffic around her went. She was STUPID! You shouldn't be doing that on the road. PULL OVER rather than blocking people.

I cannot stand when people let people in from a gas station or a place of business, so then *YOU* get the red light. They have OTHER WAYS to get out that you can make u-turns. When people try to let me in, I refuse them. WHY? I hate when it's done to me, so I don't do that to the line of traffic by cutting.

Originally Posted by TXPearl

A corresponding pet peeve would be the driver in the inside lane swinging out as if he's the only turn lane. As a general rule, I view the center lane as a buffer lane unless marked otherwise.

A guy did that to me today - probably would have hit my door or rear quarter panel if I wasn't anticipating it. What's worse are the people that pull up in the left most left turn lane, and then immediately want to merge right and turn right at the next intersection, even when they were the first car alone at the intersection. That goes into my hating people that don't think ahead while driving.

This thread has become, I'm the only responsible driver, everyone else shouldn't even be on the road.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

This thread has become, I'm the only responsible driver, everyone else shouldn't even be on the road.

My pet peeve is everyone else on the road. Why can't everyone know when I am going to drive somewhere and just go home.

People that drive around with their highbeams on.

The ones that try to cut the line on the off ramp and wait until the zebra stripes to try and merge in.

How about people that have their wipers on the fastest setting and its only drizzling.

Or the second a light turns green the a***ole behind you obnoxiously honks his horn like he needs to get home to take a crap. I like to slam the brakes and make him wait.

Originally Posted by Coochie_Bandit

People that drive around with their highbeams on.

The ones that try to cut the line on the off ramp and wait until the zebra stripes to try and merge in.

How about people that have their wipers on the fastest setting and its only drizzling.

Or the second a light turns green the a***ole behind you obnoxiously honks his horn like he needs to get home to take a crap. I like to slam the brakes and make him wait.

My pet peeve is inconsiderate drivers.

There are slowpokes who don't keep up with traffic, slowing what is already slow traffic. If they would be more considerate and take off when the light is green, more cars can get across the intersection.

How about people that have their wipers on the fastest setting and its only drizzling. To each his own? This has no direct affect on other drivers. Keep your eyes on the road and potential hazards, not his windshield wipers.

Or the second a light turns green the a***ole behind you obnoxiously honks his horn like he needs to get home to take a crap. I like to slam the brakes and make him wait.

Everyone should be ready to go when the light turns green. In fact, in Germany, the yellow before the green is a warning to you to go when it is green.

Three driving pet peeves, each offensive to a different sense:

• Sight: I hate driving behind vans that have no back windows. It's like driving behind a moving blind spot. I like seeing through the car to the traffic ahead of it. SUVs are bad enough, but these vans make my blood pressure rise, because not only can I not see through them, but they're certainly less likely to even know I'm behind them, with all the attendant safety hazards thereto.
• Sound: I hate driving near any car that sounds like a mini-bike or a lawnmower when it accelerates, because it's almost certain that the driver thinks it sounds so cool that they're compelled to floor the damn thing when the traffic light changes.
• Smell: But the worst has got to be driving behind a car with oil-burning trouble. The sight part of enveloping you in thick black smoke when they accelerate is bad enough, but to me, that's nothing compared to its effluvium that assaults your olfactory. Yuk.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

Everyone should be ready to go when the light turns green. In fact, in Germany, the yellow before the green is a warning to you to go when it is green.

I first saw this in England when I visited there a couple of decades ago: the light goes from red, to red-yellow simultaneously, then to green. I hypothesized at the time that they did that for all the people driving MTs. You're in neutral at the light, and when it turns red-yellow, that's your signal to put it in first, then by the time you've done this, the light has turned green and you have saved the people around you precious nanoseconds.

Originally Posted by chasfh

I first saw this in England when I visited there a couple of decades ago: the light goes from red, to red-yellow simultaneously, then to green. I hypothesized at the time that they did that for all the people driving MTs. You're in neutral at the light, and when it turns red-yellow, that's your signal to put it in first, then by the time you've done this, the light has turned green and you have saved the people around you precious nanoseconds.

Yes, those nanoseconds add up. The guy who could have made that left turn or made it across the intersection but didn't because of slow pokers only think for himself. The guy just lost 2 minutes of his time waiting for the next change of lights. Now, add those two minutes to all drivers who missed the light and you will find that is a lot of time/resources lost that should not have happened. Maybe it's not important to you, but it is to me. So, have some courtesy and get across that intersection when the light turns green as soon as possible.

It goes the same, when in a line of stopped traffic, I allow the driver who is stucked in the driveway trying to make his way into traffic. Logic tells me, the short amount of time I and the drivers behind me lost is less than the time the driver coming out of the driveway lost. It's just common courtesy to try to keep traffic flow as smoothly as possible. The road just do not belong to me.

Originally Posted by drive by72

Few things...

First one is people who ride your ass, especially when you're going 5 over already. Especially true in the city or a road where cops sit like crazy. I usually step on the brake just a bit so the tail lights go on, and if that doesnt work i give a little puff of black smoke to give the "back off" message. If that doesnt work, they become engulfed in black smoke. Usually they back off then. If not, the smoking continues at my pleasure

Agreed if you are in the right-most lane OR anything but the left lane OR there is just a single lane. Otherwise, MTFO!

people throwing their cig butts out the window. They should use the ash tray. People not using their turn signals. Following too close. Driving slow in the left lane.

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

My pet peeve is inconsiderate drivers.

There are slowpokes who don't keep up with traffic, slowing what is already slow traffic. If they would be more considerate and take off when the light is green, more cars can get across the intersection.

How about people that have their wipers on the fastest setting and its only drizzling. To each his own? This has no direct affect on other drivers. Keep your eyes on the road and potential hazards, not his windshield wipers.

Or the second a light turns green the a***ole behind you obnoxiously honks his horn like he needs to get home to take a crap. I like to slam the brakes and make him wait.

Everyone should be ready to go when the light turns green. In fact, in Germany, the yellow before the green is a warning to you to go when it is green.

Id love to have you behind me at a red light. Just for being that d****ead that honks his horn the nanosecond the light turns green.. Oops now you have to wait another red light.

Originally Posted by Coochie_Bandit

Id love to have you behind me at a red light. Just for being that d****ead that honks his horn the nanosecond the light turns green.. Oops now you have to wait another red light.

Yes, you do that and one day a cold clunker will kiss your rear end. Is that what you want by playing games? I don't play games. I was just spilling out the facts that there are some who show no courtesy in driving. There are laws and there are courtesies, you might say they unwritten rules of driving. There is no law to says you have give way to a driver coming into your lane. There is no law that says when making a left turn you have to be in the intersection but most of us do it. Why? To keep traffic flowing as best as we can. It is clear to me that there are some who don't care about others but themselves. Can you say you have been driving for 48 years without an accident? That fact comes because driving requires attention of the entire surrounding, not just what is in front and behind you.

I go from my place to the Dumbarton Bridge on the Bayfront Expressway 3 or 4 times a week - connects 101 and 880 in the southbay part of the Bay Area. It's one of those semi freeways with stoplights here and there, approx 1/4 to 1/2 mile apart. I've done it so often I sort of know how the lights work and I hate speeding up to 50 only to have to hit the brakes to wait for 15 or 30 seconds at a light. So if I see a light turn red or know that it will, I'll take my foot off the gas and ideally coast to about 25 or 30 with the light turning green shortly before I get to it. My tranny is not young and I suspect I'll need to put a clutch in for the second time one of these days so I like putting it into 2nd or 3rd and proceeding. Less wear on the brakes, clutch, tranny, and less fuel.

Many of my fellow Bay Areans (not to be confused with the Aryan Nation) do not share my POV and will get hard on my bumper for having the audacity not to accelerate up to the red light. It's a 6 lane road so I try to get in the lane with no cars near to my ass region but it's not always possible. I see the fools go around me and go at speed up to the light. I love timing it so that I whoosh past them at about 30 while they're just beginning to accelerate from a stop.

Horrible coincidence, one of the intersections I go through on this route - Bayfront Expy and Willow Rd. is where journalist David Halberstam was killed when the fool student who had scored a chance to taxi his hero around ran a left turn red light.

Originally Posted by gray330

What is your driving-related pet peeve? Here is one of mine: people who drive with their fog lights on in clear weather.

I guess you don't approve of me. I use them as daytime running lights.

Originally Posted by Jetfire

People who rest their legs/feet on the dashboard. Passengers AND drivers.

Have never experienced this. Does anyone really do that?

Originally Posted by Dave 330i

Yes, you do that and one day a cold clunker will kiss your rear end. Is that what you want by playing games? I don't play games. I was just spilling out the facts that there are some who show no courtesy in driving. There are laws and there are courtesies, you might say they unwritten rules of driving. There is no law to says you have give way to a driver coming into your lane. There is no law that says when making a left turn you have to be in the intersection but most of us do it. Why? To keep traffic flowing as best as we can. It is clear to me that there are some who don't care about others but themselves. Can you say you have been driving for 48 years without an accident? That fact comes because driving requires attention of the entire surrounding, not just what is in front and behind you.

I dont play games either.
I drive people around for a living. Im a bus driver and have Logged more miles in a bus than on my e39.
So you dont have to preach because chances are I know a thing or two as well about safety and knowing my surroundings.

Drivers who do not understand what to do when a siren vehicle comes by.

The purpose, of course, is to clear the way for unfettered access for the vehicle, so most people pull over to the side and stop, so they are safely out of the vehicle's way.

But this actually happened: ambulance coming from the other way, car in front of me pulls over to the side of the road—right in front of a driveway to a parking lot. Ambulance wants to turn left into the lot and is of course blocked by the car. Driver must be confused, freezes up and just sits there. After a few seconds the shotgun passenger jumps out of the ambulance, runs over and frantically waves at the driver to move. Driver tentatively moves forward, then backward, then stops, apparently freaked out and not sure what to do. Finally the guy from the ambulance runs in front of the car and windmills for the driver to follow him. Driver finally gets a clue and moves forward out of the way, allowing the ambulance to go into the parking lot. Took maybe 20 seconds, but that's a long time for ambulances at the moment of truth.

This is not unlike the driver I once saw pull over to the side of the road for the ambulance coming the other way—even though they were on a divided highway!

I wonder whether these people actually think the purpose of pulling over is to show a sign of respect, or to genuflect and say a prayer? What else would explain this behavior?

The list is long... And most of it has been mentioned already. But one other one that drives me nuts, is stuff hanging from rear view mirrors. Dream catchers, tassles, whateverthefvck they put up there. Just irritates me for some reason :/

My list:

• People who drive slow in the fast lane
• People who leave big gaps in front of them in slow traffic
• People who drive under the speed limit when there's no passing allowed
• People who don't pull over into turnouts to let cars pass on mountain roads even though they have 5 cars behind them
• People who drive 2-footed with their left foot on the brake while they're accelerating
• People who drive with their brights on
• People who drive with their REAR fog lights on (I don't care about front fog lights)
• People who talk on their cell phone while driving, no hands free
• People who text while driving
• People who drive drunk
• People who swerve around and cut people off to get 10 feet ahead
• People who pass traffic on the shoulder
• People who tailgate
• Cars that pollute and have smoke coming out of them
• Cars with loud stereos booming
• I reserve the right to gripe about something else later too