Insane Drivers.

[Halfsilver]

Ok, so my girlfriend and I went to a park down in North Miami today, since it was was such a beautiful day. (upper 70's...warm breeze...perfectly sunny)

Unfortunately, to get there...one has to travel down I-95 for about 15 miles.

Now, I used to work down there about a year ago, and have made the trip numerous times, but it has been a year since I've been down there, so I had forgotten how badly South Floridians drive.

On the ride home, true to florida's nature, it starts to rain. I'm driving along in the HOV lane, when this idiot comes right up on me...couldn't have been more than 6 or 7 feet behind me...and starts flashing his high beams. I grumble a little and signal back over to the right to let him pass and continue when ANOTHER comes up behind me. Less than a car length behind me. This is all at a good 75 miles an hour in the RAIN. Rain coming down so hard that you can hardly see through the windshield.

It's unsafe, so I let the guy pass, of course he's all mad and cuts around me as close as possible, forcing me to slow down. You can imagine my irritation when a third car starts tailgating me. At that point, I slowed down to about 40 mph, forcing the moron behind me to do the same.

Anyways, I'm just wondering (hoping) if this is just isolated to South Florida. Tailgating in the rain at high speed is one of the most retarded things that someone can do. On top of that, they get pissed if I pull over to let them pass and cut close to me, endangering MY life AGAIN. If they had any coherant thought or ounce of common sense, then they would see what they were doing is not only insanely dangerous to themselves, but to other drivers as well.

-grays/d (thinks that the requirements for operating a deadly vehicle should be alot more strict.)

[Miss X]

heh, deffinatly not isolated. Happens to me on the motorways of England on a regular basis. (it rains here a lot, as I'm sure you know) hehe
Vx

[GSLeloo]

Jersey drivers suck... it's the old people that annoy me cause like they don't know what they're doing! They drive like 10 miles an hour on a 40 mile an hour road and merge right into you on the highway. I haven't had any real horror stories driving wise.

One time though, this girl pissed me off. We were in stop dead traffic on the highway and she kept moving onto the shoulder trying to get ahead of everyone else and then getting stuck and every time she came back into our lane she had to pull right in front of me. I was so annoyed.

[Betheny]

People drive stupid. I do not. Yet they probably get cheaper insurance than me, :lol:. Everyone's in such a rush... you just know they never look off to the side and notice all the trees are turning a firey shade of red for autumn, and it's beautiful.

[Halfsilver]

::cries::: I miss the fall!

it's always summer here. :(

Just one more year!

-grays/d

[Artha]

Fall's over rated.

[peam]

Fall kicks ass.

The mountains here are roxoring about this time of year.

[Stunseed]

I must agree, fall was awesome in Vermont. Except by this point we already had 6 inches of snow on the ground. But Florida feels great, too....These are the 70 degree seabreeze overcast days, and it rains at 2:38 pm every single day, only to be over by 4. My kinda day.

To get back on topic, Miami drivers suck major ass compared to North Florida. We just get all the 14 year olds in little Honda blowing Nitro's. Saw one blow up over a bridge. Now that's perfect reds in the background.

Love you Jolena!

[Betheny]

I like fall, but where I live, I don't drive much, and I'll never get tos ee it. :( PRetty soon it'll just be bare trees.

[Snapp]

Must be an I-95 thing.. its a death trap around here too.. and it always seems as the weather gets worse, the drivers get faster.

[Stunseed]

[quote]Originally posted by Lady Daina
I've found a lot of quirks in drivers of different areas. Jersey drivers do suck, they scare me. People in Phoenix can't merge to save their lives, they scare me. People in Oklahoma are just plain out and out STUPID behind the wheel, they scare me.

::glances at Jolena and chuckles::

That's just too priceless.

[Halfsilver]

That's another one. The OLD people. Especially here in retirement land, where you can renew your liscense by mail.

They never drive above 35 miles an hour, even on the freakin' freeway.

They'll drag their damned rear view mirrors along the side of your car, and not even realize that anything happened.

They'll change lanes right into smaller cars and motorcycles, because they are blind and can't see them there.

-grays/d (age limits on BOTH sides, I say!)

[Betheny]

Not age limits. Skill limits.

My grandfather is closing on 85 and he still flies an airplane. Sees sharp as a hawk, and is a better pilot than 90% of the people out there flying passenger aircraft.

[Halfsilver]

There are probably exceptions, Maim.

However, they do not exist in SOFLA.

[Skirmisher]

Jersey drivers are different from place to place in the state.

It's interesting how on certain highways the avg speed is literally like 80+ mph and then, sometimes due to the congestion but sometimes not, in others its like one fourth that.

Worst moment driving for me, well I guess there would be two.

First, I was going over the GWB and was merging as we came to the tolls and this idiot was merging in from my left and kept coming slowly but steadily no matter if I honked or what, so I had to suddenly stop and let him keep moving to the right. Well I chuckled as the next vehicle was a tractor trailr and I said well he can't push him around. He did try though, and actually drove into him, leaning into the truck as if to push it out of the way doing clearly visible damage to the top of his car before finally straightening out.

Worst time was on route 46 coming home from school one night when I realized the headlights coming at me were not in the opposing lane, but in mine. I swerved over like two lanes and tried to keep my hands from shaking off the wheel the rest of the way home. God knows how he ended up on the wrong side of the road but I didnt read anything about it in the paper the next day so I guess they realized they were going the wrong way before killing someone.

Oh, forgot about the time the rear wheel flew off our car on the GSP on the way back from the shore one summer. Looked backwards out the window and saw this huge sheet of sparks just like out of an old flash gordon movie. Immense credit to mom for maintaining control and pulling us over to the side safely.

[Sean]

80+ mph makes me think of rt 280

[Skirmisher]

Originally posted by Tijay
80+ mph makes me think of rt 280

280 works, but I was thinking originally of 78.

[Sean]

yea but theres all the construction near the airport to slow it down

[Weedmage Princess]

Just this weekend coming home from work down 128 and towards 24 I noticed the trees...it's really breathtaking.

Upstate New York and New Jersey..up by where Tijay and Skirmisher are talking (and up the Palisades Parkway too) is very nice...but I gotta say New England owns the NYC area when it comes to the fall season. It really is beautiful here...and I'm in Southeastern Mass. I'm sure New Hampshire and Maine are gorgeous.

[Sean]

it does thats why everyone goes up there .. i drove upto RI to visit my brother this weekend was a great drive especially up in RI

[Stunseed]

It is awesome going up I-91, too. All fuzzy memories and $1.99 postcard material.

Love you Jolena!

[AnticorRifling]

1. If you are in the far left lane and someone is coming up behind you MOVE. It's the damn fast lane. If someone is going faster than you then you have no right to be in the fast lane.

2. I agree skill lvl should be all that matters. I don't care if you're 20 or 120 if you are a suck ass driver get on a bus.

3. Fall rules.

[Halfsilver]

OK. I was going 75 MPH in the HOV lane.

In the RAIN.

That is too fast. These people come up and tailgate me while the roads are as slippery as ice. As I said, I moved over two lanes before I really got irritated.
That, and they got pissed when I pulled over for them.

Slowing down to 40 really pisses'em off.
It's funny. I'm probably actually doing them a favor by preventing them from speeding up over the rise into slower traffic and sliding all over the place and causing a pile up.

no excuse for these people, Anticor.

-grays/d

[Betheny]

What people need to realize is it isn't JUST their safety that's at stake when they get behind the wheel.

It's theirs, their passengers, and everyone else driving on the road.

When people realize this, they'll start using caution and driving within reason.

[Stunseed]

Going to Disneyworld on I-4 to Orlando was about the same way. I was just kinda distracted on that drive in. Driving out was very nice, however. Nothing neats a new car on an empty highway with someone you love.

Love you Jolena!

[AnticorRifling]

Originally posted by Halfsilver
OK. I was going 75 MPH in the HOV lane.

In the RAIN.

That is too fast. These people come up and tailgate me while the roads are as slippery as ice. As I said, I moved over two lanes before I really got irritated.
That, and they got pissed when I pulled over for them.

Slowing down to 40 really pisses'em off.
It's funny. I'm probably actually doing them a favor by preventing them from speeding up over the rise into slower traffic and sliding all over the place and causing a pile up.

no excuse for these people, Anticor.

-grays/d

So they did something to piss you off and you did something back to piss them off? Cute. Driving 40 on the freeway is almost as bad as speeding. You are expected to be movin on a freeway, hell most have a min speed now.

Maybe those drivers were from someplace other than SolFA. I know I haul ass in rain because we have this weird stuff in Indiana called weather (other than sunshine) we know how to handle our rides in snow and rain here in the MidWest and people that drive slow because it's raining need to take a rural route.

And you were doing no favors for anyone. You were making yourself a moving obstacle causing them to make lane changes in the rain. Get your ass to the slow lane if you want to drive like an old woman. If you're gonna be doing 40 you should have no need for the HOV lane, which is there so that vehicles with multiple passangers can use it as a reward for carpooling by having less traffic so they can haul ass.

[Stunseed]

Anticor's got a point....People in Florida can't drive worth a damn in the rain. I learned after driving through snow how big a difference it is, comparitively.

[Halfsilver]

Alright.

I was going 75. In the rain. Guy tail gated me. I changed lanes and let them pass. All was good.

Going 75. Again, someone begins to tailgate me. In the rain. Endangering my girlfriend's and my own life. I pull over, yet again, and let them pass. This time, for some reason...he gets mad and cuts in front of me, causing me to slow down. Endangering me, yet again.

Going 75. Third time. Some dumb ass tail gates me. In the rain. I'm fed up with it at this point and slow down to 40. Figuring that I'm two lanes away from the fast lane and if the retard wants to speed around me, going 40 will allow him to do so without breaking the speed limit.

Again. NO EXCUSES for this type of driving. Not only are you endangering yourself, but you are fucking with OTHER drivers who may not have the wish to slide across rain slicked road into the backside of another car at 80 miles an hour.

-grays/d

edited to add: I'm from Maryland. I know how to drive. Snow, Rain, Sun...whatever.
Floridians, on the other hand, don't. No matter what the weather.

[Edited on 10-27-2003 by Halfsilver]

[Jolena]

Originally posted by Stunseed
[quote]Originally posted by Lady Daina
I've found a lot of quirks in drivers of different areas. Jersey drivers do suck, they scare me. People in Phoenix can't merge to save their lives, they scare me. People in Oklahoma are just plain out and out STUPID behind the wheel, they scare me.

::glances at Jolena and chuckles::

That's just too priceless.

Mmhmm..kiss it. *smirks*

[Jolena]

Originally posted by Stunseed
Going to Disneyworld on I-4 to Orlando was about the same way. I was just kinda distracted on that drive in. Driving out was very nice, however. Nothing neats a new car on an empty highway with someone you love.

Love you Jolena!

*hums innocently* distracted? huh? I have no idea what you are talking about.

[Stunseed]

Originally posted by Jolena

Originally posted by Stunseed
Going to Disneyworld on I-4 to Orlando was about the same way. I was just kinda distracted on that drive in. Driving out was very nice, however. Nothing neats a new car on an empty highway with someone you love.

Love you Jolena!

*hums innocently* distracted? huh? I have no idea what you are talking about.

Of course you don't, dear. Let's not get into that. But it was definately an interesting trip. Got too excited and pulled off in another theme park was like "Hi, I'm not going to buy anything, but where the hell is DisneyWorld?". Then, I got lost INSIDE DisneyWorld, and I pulled over to ask someone, and got pulled into a bus stop, and was going 2 mph in a huge circle. People were looking at me funny and laughing their asses off. Felt like I was riding on the short bus.

Love you Jolena!

[CrystalTears]

I guess it would depend on what they're driving too. People in SUVs and vans seem to think they're invincible in any weather and drive like morons. That's not just Florida, that's everywhere, even here in Connecticut where the driving is a godsend compared to other states I've driven through.

I probably drive better than most Floridians because I didn't take their example and was actually smart about how I drove. I guess I was living in nerdville because when it rained, no matter how hard or light, people would drive like zombies to a mere 40 miles an hour on the highway because they panic. I can't stand that. And if there is a "hill" in the highway? Oh forget it. It's like they see a skull and crossbones in the pavement because they can't see over the hill. Once over, the traffic is clear. No off ramps, no change in scenery.. just getting over the hump and everyone can move. WTF?!

[Stunseed]

You are so correct about that, CT. It's either H2's or little Honda's, and they ALL follow what you just said. 40 mph, whether it's just spitting or a flood, and instead of going over a hill, everyone parks under an overpass like a wuss.

Love you Jolena!

[longshot]

Originally posted by Halfsilver
Alright.

I was going 75. In the rain. Guy tail gated me. I changed lanes and let them pass. All was good.

Going 75. Again, someone begins to tailgate me. In the rain. Endangering my girlfriend's and my own life. I pull over, yet again, and let them pass. This time, for some reason...he gets mad and cuts in front of me, causing me to slow down. Endangering me, yet again.

Going 75. Third time. Some dumb ass tail gates me. In the rain. I'm fed up with it at this point and slow down to 40. Figuring that I'm two lanes away from the fast lane and if the retard wants to speed around me, going 40 will allow him to do so without breaking the speed limit.

Again. NO EXCUSES for this type of driving. Not only are you endangering yourself, but you are fucking with OTHER drivers who may not have the wish to slide across rain slicked road into the backside of another car at 80 miles an hour.

-grays/d

edited to add: I'm from Maryland. I know how to drive. Snow, Rain, Sun...whatever.
Floridians, on the other hand, don't. No matter what the weather.

[Edited on 10-27-2003 by Halfsilver]

You and your girlfriend are perfect for eachother...

The fact that you slowed down to 40 in the middle of a freeway to agitate people... yet you did nothing wrong!

This is a reocurring theme.

Seek professional help.

Many of us here would be okay with sterilization as well,... but that's a decision you will have to make.

[Halfsilver]

My god, you're dense, Longshot.

I've only said it three times.

Bah, forget it. Read a few more times untill you understand it, ok?

[CrystalTears]

Whether you did it initially or later, you still slowed down to 40 on the highway. Yes the people tailgating you were at fault most of the time, but lowering yourself to their level doesn't make it any better.

[Halfsilver]

Completely right, CT....but there was logic behind slowing down.

If I slowed down to 40, the car could go around me without accelerating too much, which would cause more danger.

My anger is completely justified at these drivers here. I was going at least 75 in the pouring rain and they have the nerve to tailgate at THAT speed in the rain? Insane? yes.

[AnticorRifling]

Originally posted by Halfsilver
Completely right, CT....but there was logic behind slowing down.

If I slowed down to 40, the car could go around me without accelerating too much, which would cause more danger.

My anger is completely justified at these drivers here. I was going at least 75 in the pouring rain and they have the nerve to tailgate at THAT speed in the rain? Insane? yes.

So going 75 in the rain is ok but going 80 isn't?

You were still in the fast lane going slower than traffic behind you. Yeah they shouldn't tailgate and tailgating pisses me off more than the old people that leave their blinkers to let you know they turned out of their driveway 3 hours ago, and that's saying alot. But still if you feel like driving like an old woman get in the old woman lane (right lane sometimes they drive on the shoulder too which is fine because they are out of my way)

[CrystalTears]

Originally posted by Halfsilver
Completely right, CT....but there was logic behind slowing down.

If I slowed down to 40, the car could go around me without accelerating too much, which would cause more danger.


Having to slow down and swerve around you because you've dropped 35 miles per hour is even more dangerous than you speeding up about 5 more miles to be at the same pace as everyone else.

[Halfsilver]

No heh, I was going 75 and provided that information as a comparative reference for the cars tailgating me. Who must of been going a good 85-90 to come up on me like that.

I don't care what they do, as long as they don't endanger my life. I kinda resent it when a stranger threatens my life with his big ugly suv or dented up chrysler lebaron.

-grays/d

[Betheny]

The only thing worse than highways and freeways... is parking lots.

The first, and only, accident I've been in -- where I almost totalled my brother's brand-new car the WEEK I got my license -- was because some woman whipped into a U-shaped parking lot at 45 miles an hour. The parking lot was small. I was paralell parked at the bottom of t he U, and she pulled in... I pulled out... she creamed the teeny Hyundai Accent at 45 miles an hour with a full size van, and proceeded to try to blame ME for not looking.

I DID look. She fucked up. And she had a suspended license.

This is why retarded parents shouldn't bring their children to school. It still pisses me off, to this day.

Edited to add: I have many more horror stories about parking lots. People don't know how to drive in them.

[Edited on 10-27-2003 by Maimara]

[CrystalTears]

It's the whole concept of looking and using common sense that I think fails some people. Even when it's the right of way, if you see that something is not going right, slow down or stop! When they keep on going with the attitude of "I have the right of way, they have to move" just infuriates me. This is a CAR, a large hunk of dangerous metal. Why are you going to just risk your life like that over your pride? I really can't stand it.

One such example: You're pulling out of a space in a parking lot and can't see on either side of you for oncoming traffic so you pull out slowly because the lot is crowded and it's raining. One guy comes racing down like he's on the Indy 500 and you're already half way out and swerves around you, then stops to flip you off. Yes he had the right of way, but would it have really killed him if he stopped while I finished getting out? Ugh.

[Adhara]

If I'm driving in the fast lane and I notice someone catching up to me, I assume that there's a good chance he'll want to pass me, and that regardless of what speed I and he is doing. It is not up to me to determine if he is going too fast or fast enough. I move over early enough to prevent him from having to slow down and all is well in the world.

[Edited on 10-27-2003 by Adhara]

[Weedmage Princess]

I'm a lot like you Adhara..if I see someone barreling down on me pretty fast, I'll move out their way so they can pass me. I hate jerks who ride your bumper. At the same token, you also have to realize if you don't want to do 75 plus, you probably shouldn't be in the left lane. Stick to the middle or right, use the left for passing only.

What I *do* hate is people who want to do like 80 in the RIGHT lane, and if you aren't, they'll ride your bumper. Especially if the other two are clear and they can pass. That's a total asshole move, it's like they are just purposely harassing you. I usually throw on my hazard lights at that point and operate at a SPEEDY 45 MPH.

[Halfsilver]

Right, see Weedmage, you know how it is.

As I said I pulled out of the way and over to the right TWICE, before I got mad. By that time I had moved one lane away from the farthest right. I wasn't in the fast lane anymore. Yet they were still tailgating.

Tail gating IS the stupidest thing a driver can do on the road, especially on the highway, at highspeed...in the rain. As I also said, they get pissed when you concede to them and let them pass! :?:
The guy actually cut his wheel back into my lane as close as he could to me, and forced me to slow down...at 75 mph?

-grays/d

[Weedmage Princess]

Yeah I agree Grays. You should have followed him then when he came to a stoplight, went GTA syle on his ass..with the Club.

[Weedmage Princess]

A bit of advice for you Graysalin.. (and anyone else who might want to heed) If you find yourself in that situation again where someone is riding your bumper, before you do anything, put on your hazards. If they hit you, it makes it that much worse for them because you had your hazards on--indicating that you were operating at a slow speed and should be allowed x amount of room. That was advice given to me by a State Trooper *nods*

[Tendarian]

I remember once i was coming home from the casino and driving with my cruise on in the slow lane. I come up on a truck and i need to pass so i turn on my blinker and switch lanes and come up next to him,he looks at me and speeds up. I shrug and signal back into the slow lane and about five miles down the road i come up on the same truck again. I signal and change lanes and he sees me next to him and speeds up again. I mean wtf? I wasnt racing the moron i had cruise on the ENTIRE time(which was set at like 2 miles over the speed limit,im a slow ass driver).

[Hulkein]

I would've tailgated you if you were in the left lane and not passing anyone too. Left lane is for passing or speeding.

I lived in Ft. Myers Beach for 7 years... and no its not the people going 75 mph that make the driving bad its the idiots who go 40mph the old men and women in their caddies or lincons put puting along pissing everyone behind them off.

Illinois just passed a law that basicly says if you are going slower than the person behind you in the left hand lane then you are breaking the law no matter the rate of speed... so move your ass over and get out of my way

[GOD]

If you wanna talk about bad drivers just come visit me in Jamaica, 80% of the people dont earn there drivers license they just buy them, so they dont know the rules of the road or who has the right of way in a situation, most people think that there is no speed limit, they can be goin down the most winding road in the world and be doin 70 and you tell them to slow down and they just say, "Mi gauge go ah 120 mon!" ....you can take the worst drivers in the States and compare them to our drivers out here and they would be considerd a good driver. lol.

-John

[Just Lurking]

Originally posted by Lady Daina
I'm all for driving safely and obeying the speed limit, but don't do it in the left lane. ;)

Well said, Daina! :thumbsup:

I would never pull a stunt like slowing down in the fast lane just to "make people drive safer". You never know what type of person is behind the wheel of the other car. It could be an all out road rage freak who finally has gone over the edge and decides to take it all out on you. I see this in the news all the time. But, then again, I live in one of the worst commuting areas in the US.

Cheers,

[Faellyn]

He was in the HOV lane, I don't know for sure in FL, I only drove down there once, but in MN, MA, NH, NY, and CT there's only one lane in the HOV.

As for weather.... We have LOTS of it in MN and NH where I was grew up and MA where I lived most recently. Rain can be some pretty dangerous shit, when it's pouring down so fast you can't see and staying on the road, then you can hydroplane and the faster you are going when that happens the more serious the consequences. My ex always called me leadfoot, I drive a little saner now, (15 years since my last moving violation) but I'm not a slowpoke. Those people coming up right behind him in the HOV lane were wrong.

NYC has some of the worst drivers in the world, but there are drivers even they fear---Massachusetts drivers. One of the things I enjoy about MN is that the bad driver is rarer here, and was the norm there.

[Weedmage Princess]

Originally posted by Faellyn
NYC has some of the worst drivers in the world, but there are drivers even they fear---Massachusetts drivers. One of the things I enjoy about MN is that the bad driver is rarer here, and was the norm there.

HELL YEAH!

I am from NYC (and I think Jersey drivers are pretty bad too..them and the maniacs on the Belt Parkway..wtf?!) and I can honestly say I have never in my LIFE seen driving so bad til I moved up here (Mass) ...I've seen some CRAZY shit..from people reading while driving...to drunk drivers...to people in snowstorms who think they're invincible cause they're in a shitty Chevy Blazer and driving 80 mph with the window down giving the finger to the other sensible drivers...to trucks with stuff falling off of them on I-93...oh and my personal favorite...a LADDER laying 3/4ths the way in the LEFT LANE of a HIGHWAY...swerving to avoid that, losing control and crashing into the barrier, bouncing off that then getting clipped by a Dodge Ram....good times, good times.

I hate to say it, but Massachusetts issues licenses to some people who seem to be too stupid to be allowed out of a cage.