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Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Welcome to Fairfax Underground, a project site designed to improve communication among residents of Fairfax County, VA. Feel free to post anything Northern Virginia residents would find interesting.
Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Bob
()
Date: September 27, 2008 02:51AM
I know they've done polls that show that most people believe they are good drivers, even when they aren't. But I see so many examples of bad driving that I just can't believe these people don't know they suck at driving.
Dismissing the common fools who never signal and the fools that don't know how to use their mirrors when changing lanes, there are other things that I know these people shouldn't have gotten a driver's license if they did these things during the driving test at the DMV.
The first one: 7 out of 10 people make left turns into the right lane, and right turns into the left lane. I cannot count how many times I've made a right turn after stopping at a light, only to have some asshole who wasn't even signaling his left turn, from the opposite side of the intersection who refuses to turn left into the left lane like he's supposed to. And when I honk at them, they look at me like I'm crazy and they are the best drivers in the world and I just violated some moron rule of defiance for driving laws or something.
The second one: I drive on a divided highway, like 123, or 66, or 267 or 495, or any other highway, and some idiot thinks he should drive in the left lane, right next to another car in the left lane.
I have so many problems with that practice. First, why would anyone want to drive right next to another car? If they were good drivers, wouldn't they want to have a 4 sided buffer in case of some kind of emergency? Wouldn't it be better to be in the right lane, with a safe distance between the car in front and the car in back, and no car to the left, in the event of a tire blowout, or hitting black ice, or the car ahead braking suddenly? Seems like the logical answer would be, yes, I'd want a safety zone, not a companion car next to me.
Second, why do people seem to gravitate to the left lane? What are they trying to prove, that even though they are exceeding the speed limit, they will not let you exceed the speed limit any more than they have chosen to exceed it by? Or that they have determined that going 33 mph in a 35 mph zone is the only safe speed and nobody should pass them?
Why is it that these types of driving habits appear to me to be actually more reckless than driving faster than the speed limit? Is it because most of the time the assholes who pull these obnoxious driving habits are talking on a cell phone or texting?
Dismissing the common fools who never signal and the fools that don't know how to use their mirrors when changing lanes, there are other things that I know these people shouldn't have gotten a driver's license if they did these things during the driving test at the DMV.
The first one: 7 out of 10 people make left turns into the right lane, and right turns into the left lane. I cannot count how many times I've made a right turn after stopping at a light, only to have some asshole who wasn't even signaling his left turn, from the opposite side of the intersection who refuses to turn left into the left lane like he's supposed to. And when I honk at them, they look at me like I'm crazy and they are the best drivers in the world and I just violated some moron rule of defiance for driving laws or something.
The second one: I drive on a divided highway, like 123, or 66, or 267 or 495, or any other highway, and some idiot thinks he should drive in the left lane, right next to another car in the left lane.
I have so many problems with that practice. First, why would anyone want to drive right next to another car? If they were good drivers, wouldn't they want to have a 4 sided buffer in case of some kind of emergency? Wouldn't it be better to be in the right lane, with a safe distance between the car in front and the car in back, and no car to the left, in the event of a tire blowout, or hitting black ice, or the car ahead braking suddenly? Seems like the logical answer would be, yes, I'd want a safety zone, not a companion car next to me.
Second, why do people seem to gravitate to the left lane? What are they trying to prove, that even though they are exceeding the speed limit, they will not let you exceed the speed limit any more than they have chosen to exceed it by? Or that they have determined that going 33 mph in a 35 mph zone is the only safe speed and nobody should pass them?
Why is it that these types of driving habits appear to me to be actually more reckless than driving faster than the speed limit? Is it because most of the time the assholes who pull these obnoxious driving habits are talking on a cell phone or texting?
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Dr. Fill
()
Date: September 27, 2008 10:37AM
Its all about ego and their delusions of self-importance. It's as if they
think the world will collapse if they arrive for work late. On the way
home, its a different story. They might miss the beginning of the Leave
It To Beaver reruns. The only cures for this syndrome are bankruptcy or
suicide.
think the world will collapse if they arrive for work late. On the way
home, its a different story. They might miss the beginning of the Leave
It To Beaver reruns. The only cures for this syndrome are bankruptcy or
suicide.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Numbers
()
Date: September 27, 2008 11:52AM
If you have to ask that question, you haven't been experiencing it for very long. It will all become clear to you in time.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Bob
()
Date: September 27, 2008 10:48PM
Numbers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you have to ask that question, you haven't been
> experiencing it for very long. It will all become
> clear to you in time.
I learned how to drive in this area. That's why I've been asking this question for 23 years. Actually, even before I turned 16, I knew that the left lane is a passing and turning lane, and that you turn left into the left lane and turn right into the right lane. I'm just amazed that so many people, supposedly educated and professional and somewhat successful, can't figure that out.
If it became clear to you, in time, please enlighten me. I've never been able to figure out the massive lack of driving skills or knowledge that seems endemic in this area.
I went to college in West Virginia, and people habitually drove in the right lane, and when they approached on ramps, they would move to the left to allow people entering the highway to get into the right lane, and then they immediately moved back to the right lane after clearing the on ramp. They also do this in most other parts of the country. I also spent a lot of time in Germany, and over there they seem to take this concept to a point of precision.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If you have to ask that question, you haven't been
> experiencing it for very long. It will all become
> clear to you in time.
I learned how to drive in this area. That's why I've been asking this question for 23 years. Actually, even before I turned 16, I knew that the left lane is a passing and turning lane, and that you turn left into the left lane and turn right into the right lane. I'm just amazed that so many people, supposedly educated and professional and somewhat successful, can't figure that out.
If it became clear to you, in time, please enlighten me. I've never been able to figure out the massive lack of driving skills or knowledge that seems endemic in this area.
I went to college in West Virginia, and people habitually drove in the right lane, and when they approached on ramps, they would move to the left to allow people entering the highway to get into the right lane, and then they immediately moved back to the right lane after clearing the on ramp. They also do this in most other parts of the country. I also spent a lot of time in Germany, and over there they seem to take this concept to a point of precision.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Bob
()
Date: September 27, 2008 10:51PM
Dr. Fill Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its all about ego and their delusions of
> self-importance. It's as if they
> think the world will collapse if they arrive for
> work late. On the way
> home, its a different story. They might miss the
> beginning of the Leave
> It To Beaver reruns. The only cures for this
> syndrome are bankruptcy or
> suicide.
I've always thought that, at least for the left lane bandits, it was at least in part ego driven. I know there are a lot of people who like to think they are the alpha male around here, this being DC, the "center of power" and most of these guy are mid level bureaucrats who hate their jobs and are angry about being reprimanded by a black woman boss. But that only explains a portion of the bad driving in this area.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Its all about ego and their delusions of
> self-importance. It's as if they
> think the world will collapse if they arrive for
> work late. On the way
> home, its a different story. They might miss the
> beginning of the Leave
> It To Beaver reruns. The only cures for this
> syndrome are bankruptcy or
> suicide.
I've always thought that, at least for the left lane bandits, it was at least in part ego driven. I know there are a lot of people who like to think they are the alpha male around here, this being DC, the "center of power" and most of these guy are mid level bureaucrats who hate their jobs and are angry about being reprimanded by a black woman boss. But that only explains a portion of the bad driving in this area.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Numbers
()
Date: September 28, 2008 12:15PM
Bob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it became clear to you, in time, please
> enlighten me. I've never been able to figure out
> the massive lack of driving skills or knowledge
> that seems endemic in this area.
Bob, I will enlighten you.
The reasons for the awful drivers and ensuing traffic problems are these.
1) There are many immigrants in this area. Many come from countries where the rickshaw and/or bicycle are the most common forms of transportation. Neither of these devices go over 20mph. When they come to this country and find out the average speed limit is 10-20mph faster than that, they panic and feel overwhelmed. They don't, and never will understand acceleration and deceleration lanes, and truly believe that driving over 50mph is unthinkable and unnecesary.
2) Unfortunately, these are the very people who run most of the driving schools in this area and "teach" young people to drive. Therefore, you have the blind leading the blind. This cycle of derision has been ongoing for at least 10-15 years now and has reached a point of critical mass.
3) Of course there are also those who consistently are guilty of DWA (Driving While Asian). This needs no explanation.
4) No one will debate that most immigrants are here illegally and no matter what your stance is on this issue, none can debate that the ones that are illegal are horrible drivers. They usually drive at least 5-10mph under the speed limit and drive 15-20 year old Toyotas. This is often because they don't want to draw any attention to themselves for fear of getting pulled over and asked for documentation. For evidence of this theory, just drive through Annandale at any given time.
5) People who drive while wearing hats should be avoided at ALL costs. I have no scientific data to back this up, but I am 100% convinced it's true. If you see the driver of the vehicle ahead of you is wearing ANY type of hat, pass them immediately. It could be that hats constrict the flow of blood to the brain, I don't know, but trust me on this one.
6) Women driver big trucks or SUV's are another source of frustration, especially in parking lots. Most have no business driving at all, much less a vehicle of that size.
7) There is a growing elderly population in this area. Enough said.
All these parts add up to the sum of the problem here. This is also why we have so-called "aggressive drivers". Most aren't really driving aggressively, but to the drivers listed above, they seem like maniacs. It's perfectly normal to get upset and frustrated while driving in this area.
Personally, I've grown kinda numb to it all and rarely get REALLY mad anymore.
I hope this helps you to gain an understanding of why things are the way they are. It's not the quantity of drivers that cause all this traffic, it's the quality of drivers.
-------------------------------------------------------
> If it became clear to you, in time, please
> enlighten me. I've never been able to figure out
> the massive lack of driving skills or knowledge
> that seems endemic in this area.
Bob, I will enlighten you.
The reasons for the awful drivers and ensuing traffic problems are these.
1) There are many immigrants in this area. Many come from countries where the rickshaw and/or bicycle are the most common forms of transportation. Neither of these devices go over 20mph. When they come to this country and find out the average speed limit is 10-20mph faster than that, they panic and feel overwhelmed. They don't, and never will understand acceleration and deceleration lanes, and truly believe that driving over 50mph is unthinkable and unnecesary.
2) Unfortunately, these are the very people who run most of the driving schools in this area and "teach" young people to drive. Therefore, you have the blind leading the blind. This cycle of derision has been ongoing for at least 10-15 years now and has reached a point of critical mass.
3) Of course there are also those who consistently are guilty of DWA (Driving While Asian). This needs no explanation.
4) No one will debate that most immigrants are here illegally and no matter what your stance is on this issue, none can debate that the ones that are illegal are horrible drivers. They usually drive at least 5-10mph under the speed limit and drive 15-20 year old Toyotas. This is often because they don't want to draw any attention to themselves for fear of getting pulled over and asked for documentation. For evidence of this theory, just drive through Annandale at any given time.
5) People who drive while wearing hats should be avoided at ALL costs. I have no scientific data to back this up, but I am 100% convinced it's true. If you see the driver of the vehicle ahead of you is wearing ANY type of hat, pass them immediately. It could be that hats constrict the flow of blood to the brain, I don't know, but trust me on this one.
6) Women driver big trucks or SUV's are another source of frustration, especially in parking lots. Most have no business driving at all, much less a vehicle of that size.
7) There is a growing elderly population in this area. Enough said.
All these parts add up to the sum of the problem here. This is also why we have so-called "aggressive drivers". Most aren't really driving aggressively, but to the drivers listed above, they seem like maniacs. It's perfectly normal to get upset and frustrated while driving in this area.
Personally, I've grown kinda numb to it all and rarely get REALLY mad anymore.
I hope this helps you to gain an understanding of why things are the way they are. It's not the quantity of drivers that cause all this traffic, it's the quality of drivers.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Bob
()
Date: September 29, 2008 11:24PM
Numbers Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bob, I will enlighten you.
> The reasons for the awful drivers and ensuing
> traffic problems are these.
>
> 1) There are many immigrants in this area. Many
> come from countries where the rickshaw and/or
> bicycle are the most common forms of
> transportation. Neither of these devices go over
> 20mph. When they come to this country and find out
> the average speed limit is 10-20mph faster than
> that, they panic and feel overwhelmed. They don't,
> and never will understand acceleration and
> deceleration lanes, and truly believe that driving
> over 50mph is unthinkable and unnecesary.
>
> 2) Unfortunately, these are the very people who
> run most of the driving schools in this area and
> "teach" young people to drive. Therefore, you have
> the blind leading the blind. This cycle of
> derision has been ongoing for at least 10-15 years
> now and has reached a point of critical mass.
>
> 3) Of course there are also those who consistently
> are guilty of DWA (Driving While Asian). This
> needs no explanation.
>
> 4) No one will debate that most immigrants are
> here illegally and no matter what your stance is
> on this issue, none can debate that the ones that
> are illegal are horrible drivers. They usually
> drive at least 5-10mph under the speed limit and
> drive 15-20 year old Toyotas. This is often
> because they don't want to draw any attention to
> themselves for fear of getting pulled over and
> asked for documentation. For evidence of this
> theory, just drive through Annandale at any given
> time.
>
> 5) People who drive while wearing hats should be
> avoided at ALL costs. I have no scientific data to
> back this up, but I am 100% convinced it's true.
> If you see the driver of the vehicle ahead of you
> is wearing ANY type of hat, pass them immediately.
> It could be that hats constrict the flow of blood
> to the brain, I don't know, but trust me on this
> one.
>
> 6) Women driver big trucks or SUV's are another
> source of frustration, especially in parking lots.
> Most have no business driving at all, much less a
> vehicle of that size.
>
> 7) There is a growing elderly population in this
> area. Enough said.
>
> All these parts add up to the sum of the problem
> here. This is also why we have so-called
> "aggressive drivers". Most aren't really driving
> aggressively, but to the drivers listed above,
> they seem like maniacs. It's perfectly normal to
> get upset and frustrated while driving in this
> area.
> Personally, I've grown kinda numb to it all and
> rarely get REALLY mad anymore.
>
> I hope this helps you to gain an understanding of
> why things are the way they are. It's not the
> quantity of drivers that cause all this traffic,
> it's the quality of drivers.
Wow. You must hate people that don't look like you. I'm sorry. It must be hard on you.
Most of the time, it isn't "foreigners" and "illegals" that I observe doing all the bad driving. It is 50 something white men, dressed professionally, or average middle aged white women. The Volvo drivers are probably the most predominant abusers of driving laws (except the speed limit, they never violate that single law). Okay, Asians are maybe represented in the bad driver group more than proportional to their population numbers, but not by much.
I agree that "aggressive driving" is often just a direct result of people violating the laws they don't realize are there to allow the free flow of traffic. Passing on the right is definitely "aggressive", but only because some ass has chosen to cruise in the left lane, forcing the guy going faster than him to pass on the right.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bob, I will enlighten you.
> The reasons for the awful drivers and ensuing
> traffic problems are these.
>
> 1) There are many immigrants in this area. Many
> come from countries where the rickshaw and/or
> bicycle are the most common forms of
> transportation. Neither of these devices go over
> 20mph. When they come to this country and find out
> the average speed limit is 10-20mph faster than
> that, they panic and feel overwhelmed. They don't,
> and never will understand acceleration and
> deceleration lanes, and truly believe that driving
> over 50mph is unthinkable and unnecesary.
>
> 2) Unfortunately, these are the very people who
> run most of the driving schools in this area and
> "teach" young people to drive. Therefore, you have
> the blind leading the blind. This cycle of
> derision has been ongoing for at least 10-15 years
> now and has reached a point of critical mass.
>
> 3) Of course there are also those who consistently
> are guilty of DWA (Driving While Asian). This
> needs no explanation.
>
> 4) No one will debate that most immigrants are
> here illegally and no matter what your stance is
> on this issue, none can debate that the ones that
> are illegal are horrible drivers. They usually
> drive at least 5-10mph under the speed limit and
> drive 15-20 year old Toyotas. This is often
> because they don't want to draw any attention to
> themselves for fear of getting pulled over and
> asked for documentation. For evidence of this
> theory, just drive through Annandale at any given
> time.
>
> 5) People who drive while wearing hats should be
> avoided at ALL costs. I have no scientific data to
> back this up, but I am 100% convinced it's true.
> If you see the driver of the vehicle ahead of you
> is wearing ANY type of hat, pass them immediately.
> It could be that hats constrict the flow of blood
> to the brain, I don't know, but trust me on this
> one.
>
> 6) Women driver big trucks or SUV's are another
> source of frustration, especially in parking lots.
> Most have no business driving at all, much less a
> vehicle of that size.
>
> 7) There is a growing elderly population in this
> area. Enough said.
>
> All these parts add up to the sum of the problem
> here. This is also why we have so-called
> "aggressive drivers". Most aren't really driving
> aggressively, but to the drivers listed above,
> they seem like maniacs. It's perfectly normal to
> get upset and frustrated while driving in this
> area.
> Personally, I've grown kinda numb to it all and
> rarely get REALLY mad anymore.
>
> I hope this helps you to gain an understanding of
> why things are the way they are. It's not the
> quantity of drivers that cause all this traffic,
> it's the quality of drivers.
Wow. You must hate people that don't look like you. I'm sorry. It must be hard on you.
Most of the time, it isn't "foreigners" and "illegals" that I observe doing all the bad driving. It is 50 something white men, dressed professionally, or average middle aged white women. The Volvo drivers are probably the most predominant abusers of driving laws (except the speed limit, they never violate that single law). Okay, Asians are maybe represented in the bad driver group more than proportional to their population numbers, but not by much.
I agree that "aggressive driving" is often just a direct result of people violating the laws they don't realize are there to allow the free flow of traffic. Passing on the right is definitely "aggressive", but only because some ass has chosen to cruise in the left lane, forcing the guy going faster than him to pass on the right.
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Bob
()
Date: September 29, 2008 11:33PM
Apparently, a lot of people are plainly and abjectly ignorant of the law. Maybe that is partly the answer.
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07312008/397867
This guy thinks that left lane passing laws are "new", and he cannot understand why he can go 70 and some other person can't go 75.
When he asks "As I understand this new law, if a more impatient driver comes up behind me, I am now authorized, by law, to speed up even more just to satisfy this other driver?" I almost want to figure out how to contact him so I could tell him that I once did just that, knowing full well that a cop was driving in the far right lane on a three lane stretch, obscured by a tractor trailer. I sped up, moved into the middle lane, saw the cop speed up after me, and then when the guy behind me zipped by, the cop went after him, not me.
Plus, 90% of the cops will let you go with only a warning if you tell them you were speeding up to pass a row of slow moving cars in the right lane because you were trying to get to the upcoming exit.
And if you are on a two lane road with a broken yellow line with a 55 mph speed limit, and you want to pass a car going 50 mph, you obviously have to speed up well above the limit in order to safely pass the car. I don't think any cop would pull you over for getting up to 65 or 70 just long enough to pass a slow moving car on a two lane highway (unless of course, he just needs an excuse because he suspects you of something else.)
http://fredericksburg.com/News/FLS/2008/072008/07312008/397867
This guy thinks that left lane passing laws are "new", and he cannot understand why he can go 70 and some other person can't go 75.
When he asks "As I understand this new law, if a more impatient driver comes up behind me, I am now authorized, by law, to speed up even more just to satisfy this other driver?" I almost want to figure out how to contact him so I could tell him that I once did just that, knowing full well that a cop was driving in the far right lane on a three lane stretch, obscured by a tractor trailer. I sped up, moved into the middle lane, saw the cop speed up after me, and then when the guy behind me zipped by, the cop went after him, not me.
Plus, 90% of the cops will let you go with only a warning if you tell them you were speeding up to pass a row of slow moving cars in the right lane because you were trying to get to the upcoming exit.
And if you are on a two lane road with a broken yellow line with a 55 mph speed limit, and you want to pass a car going 50 mph, you obviously have to speed up well above the limit in order to safely pass the car. I don't think any cop would pull you over for getting up to 65 or 70 just long enough to pass a slow moving car on a two lane highway (unless of course, he just needs an excuse because he suspects you of something else.)
Re: Why are most people in this area so bad at driving?
Posted by:
Numbers
()
Date: September 29, 2008 11:53PM
Bob Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow. You must hate people that don't look like
> you. I'm sorry. It must be hard on you.
I never stated that I hated other ethnicities. I just stated what I believe is true regarding bad driving. I don't hate someone because they can't drive, but I definitely don't want to be behind or near them on the road, because they are dangerous.
Honestly Bob, you think too much about it. You'll drive yourself crazy worrying about who does what in which lane.
If you simply plan your routes and have a few alternative routes, avoid the causes of traffic and accidents (listed in my previous post), drive with the flow of traffic (no matter how fast it is), and relax, you'll make it through your trip a lot easier.
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wow. You must hate people that don't look like
> you. I'm sorry. It must be hard on you.
I never stated that I hated other ethnicities. I just stated what I believe is true regarding bad driving. I don't hate someone because they can't drive, but I definitely don't want to be behind or near them on the road, because they are dangerous.
Honestly Bob, you think too much about it. You'll drive yourself crazy worrying about who does what in which lane.
If you simply plan your routes and have a few alternative routes, avoid the causes of traffic and accidents (listed in my previous post), drive with the flow of traffic (no matter how fast it is), and relax, you'll make it through your trip a lot easier.