Dear Incompetent Motorists...

[areias]

Dear Incompetent Motorists,

To the people who flew by me on the highway today at speeds dangerous to a NASCAR driver, please take a hint and SLOW DOWN. Everyone else has a place to be, and are driving at normal speeds, you are not special. I tend to laugh at you when 5 miles down the road you are being lectured by the state trooper. I can tell your car is faster than mine, and I do not need you to prove it. Tailgaiting is not necessary, in fact it will NOT make me speed up, but rather entertain the idea of performing a "brake check". When in fact I do need to brake, I do not like seeing you almost hit your dash in my rearview mirror when you realize that you are about to hit me. This brings me to my next point...I do not appreciate when you are literally two inches away from someones rear bumper, and attempt to cut in front of me directly to the side of you. It scares the living bejeeses out of me. A blinker works wonders in these cases, turn on the blinker and I will probably let you get over (provided you aren't the same person who was tailgaiting me earlier).

If you are on a cell phone, eating a big mac, smoking a cigarette and putting on your eyeliner...you should not be driving. If you tend to cause accidents while on your cell phone, you should not be driving.

If I wave you to go ahead at a stop sign...and you do not immediately accelerate, I will go anyways. Do not take this as "now" is the time to go and almost hit me, then flip me the bird. If you blow through a stop sign, or a red light...you have suicidal and homicidal tendencies. Stop when it says to, 2 seconds out of your life is all it will take versus someone's life.

On another note...if you cut in front of me, and then go 20 miles under the speed limit, ESPECIALLY when there was no traffic behind me, I will be IRATE. Please do not flip me the bird when I politely pass you going the speed limit.

If I see an animal or small child in the middle of the road, I will slow down until it is clear that I will not hit it. Please do not beep at me or cuss me out.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Normal Driver
______________________
Now if I could only get this published..hmmm...;) Anything else to add in?? :D

[davidpizzica]

So true. It's irresponsible drivers like you that can't wait ONE MINUTE until the light turns green, you think the yellow light means speed through and hit another car broadside. Due to drivers like you, I'm without a car, I won't be able to work until my three fractured ribs heal, and my well-being is shot. Thanks again, irresponsible driver.

[wombat2u2004]

............a drunk driver.

[areias]

............a drunk driver.

I'll take the drunker driver anyday, as long as he's not running red lights or tail gaiting. :D They actually say that being on a cell phone when your driving is worse than drinking and driving.

[Laura's Babies]

Ever noticed that some days, it looks like EVERYONE is out to hit YOU?

I use to date a guy that tailgated and would look at ME to talk while tailgating driving at 70mph... I can't tell you how many times he scared me so bad that I actually HIT him. When we would go on a trip and someone would ask how our trip was... I would answer "I kept a headach the whole way from inhaling everyones tail pipe fumes.."

I use to ask him what he thought he was doing... "You can controll how YOU drive but you can not controll everyone else, yet you are assuming you CAN!

I was so gald when we broke up! He had a beeper (in those days) and his son would beep him 50 times a day... going down the highway, tailgating and the beeper goes off... he about wrecked everytime because he had to immediately see who was beeping him.. grrrrrrrrrr!

Their life is ALL ABOUT THEM! Their lives! Where THEY need to be! What THEY want! Without regard to the rest of us or our safety.

[Daisy and Delilah]

Well said areias!! Here here!! Everytime I leave the house in the car I'm shocked at the poor driving we are forced to be a victim of. It's about time somebody brought this up. Thank you!! It's so sad that some of us try to drive correctly and the roads are filled with morons that couldn't care less about how bad their driving skills(or lack there of)are.

Just curious....do all states have the mail in thing like we do here in Florida? Personally, I think it's time they hauled in about 85% of the drivers we have down here for re-testing. Most of them must not have ever picked up the driver's manual before testing. They just faked it and now they get their license renewed via mail or the internet.

I have many pet peeves on the road but one of the biggest; lack of the use of turn signals!! Why bother having them if you don't even use them?? or...use them improperly.

Anyway, I love this thread. Thanks for bringing attention to this very sore subject. I hope you do get it published!! :D

[Pam]

I'll take the drunker driver anyday, as long as he's not running red lights or tail gaiting. :D They actually say that being on a cell phone when your driving is worse than drinking and driving.

Not me! I was behind a drunk driver one night and it was terrifying. I watched him weave into everyone else's lanes for a couple of miles. Thankfully it was late and there were no cars on the road. I was afraid to even pass him. At one point he totally coasted over into the two oncoming lanes (I am imagining that he nodded off) and wound up on the opposite shoulder. Thank God no one was coming. That's when I finally passed him and said a prayer that he would somehow sleep it off on the side of the road.

What seems to happen to me so often is that I will be coming down the road and someone decides to dart out into the intersection right in front of me. They have literally a quarter of a mile or so to pull out but they wait until I am almost at the intersection and then decide it's time. :mad: After I pass I always look into my rear view mirror to see who is behind me and most of the time there is no one. Why couldn't they just wait for me to pass? It's not like there was a stream of traffic behind me that they had to get ahead of. :rolleyes:

[mike001]

Great post, love it. So true, been there and I also get frustrated at these drivers. Especially those huge semis that take up half your side of the road when taking a sharp curve. :)

[joycenalex]

now that there is snow and ice on many cars, PLEASE take the extra five minutes to CLEAN OFF your taillights, and ALL of the front window, sidewindows and back window. i swear it won't take more then that. if you only scrape a dinnerplate sized hole, you won't see anyone else. thank you for listening...maybe

[davidpizzica]

In Pennsylvania you can be pulled over for not having ALL of the snow pushed off of your car. the extra snow will blow off and blind the car behind you.

[Pam]

Someone here in NJ was cut badly when a huge piece of ice flew off the top of the van in front of her and broke this woman's windshield. She was treated at a hospital for lacerations of the face. The person in the van never even stopped. :(

[DrKym]

Arieas, I lived in Ft Lauderdale from 83-92, I firmly believed then that after rush hour,
all ppl exiting the freeway alive should be bestowed with
I Survived I-95 buttons to be displayed proudly. I have lived in nearly every state in the nation, and the 2 worst for rude and just plain bad driving is Fla and Arizona (although Illinois is CLOSE)

Nice letter btw, enjoy the sun and the oranges!

Kym

[Daisy and Delilah]

Arieas, I lived in Ft Lauderdale from 83-92, I firmly believed then that after rush hour,
all ppl exiting the freeway alive should be bestowed with
I Survived I-95 buttons to be displayed proudly. I have lived in nearly every state in the nation, and the 2 worst for rude and just plain bad driving is Fla and Arizona (although Illinois is CLOSE)

Nice letter btw, enjoy the sun and the oranges!

Kym

Now we also wear "I survived I-4" buttons proudly. Of course it's not just the interstates down here, it's everywhere!!

[wombat2u2004]

Nope, not me. I hate the drunks.
Had a mate who's 17 year old daughter was killed by a drunk one morning on her way to work. She'd only had her licence for a week, and she was a good careful kid. She stopped at a red light and this guy hit her from behind. When the police came, the drunk was so inebriated he couldn't even stand up. Such a waste of life.
Wombat



I'll take the drunker driver anyday, as long as he's not running red lights or tail gaiting. :D They actually say that being on a cell phone when your driving is worse than drinking and driving.

[Riptide]

I vote you turn on your tail lights to make him think you're breaking.

[critter crazy]

Break Checks must be done on a regular basis around here!:rolleyes:

[Cataholic]

I'll take the drunker driver anyday, as long as he's not running red lights or tail gaiting. :D They actually say that being on a cell phone when your driving is worse than drinking and driving.

Who, exactly, is the "they" that say this? I find that statment absurd.

[Lady's Human]

The "They" in this particular case is Johns Hopkins:

www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20050626/Driving_Talking_050624?s_name=&no_ads

Also see:

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_phones_and_driving_safety

[CathyBogart]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem. :(

[areias]

Nope, not me. I hate the drunks.


I have to remember to like-put *internet sarcasm*. No, I'd rather a tail gaiter than a drunk, I wasn't serious. :)

Came across a new one today..."yielding" does not mean drive as fast as you can to cut me off. :)

[CathyBogart]

Here's one....if there is not a stop sign or a red light at in intersection, DON'T STOP. Certainly don't look all offended when I honk at you.

[Cataholic]

I can't get to either of those links, LH! ??? I found something done by Fox News, or, at least reported by Fox news...but, it doesn't really say anything about how drunk...I guess I should start drinking and driving! (Not).

[areias]

I can't get to either of those links, LH! ??? I found something done by Fox News, or, at least reported by Fox news...but, it doesn't really say anything about how drunk...I guess I should start drinking and driving! (Not).

Don't click on the links, just copy and paste it into your address bar. It should work then.

[Cataholic]

LH fixed 'em...I did cut and paste, nothing was working. Here I was blaming my computer.

Anyhow, I will read them. My point in wanting to know the 'they', and then see what 'they' tested is that studies often have a conclusion not supported by the testing mechanism.

For instance, for the study to test people that drank a twelve pack against people that have a casual conversation on the phone (with a hands free device) probably wouldn't result in a statment that cell phones are as dangerous as drunk drivers.

But, if the test was, say, someone at a .10/BAC vs. a cell user holding an argument over the phone, okay, I could see that.

People should know their limits. Some people shouldn't drive, period. I have had several fender benders in the last 20 years of driving. None of them had anything to do with a cell phone. (nor, drunk driving :)). I see absolutely no difference between holding a casual conversation with a front seat passenger and a casual conversation with someone over the phone. Maybe I can handle it? Past experience suggests that I can.

I will, for as long as I live, remember being attacked by this woman for being on a cell phone. I was in my car, in the parking lot of a public library, backing up. Seatbelt on, physically moving in reverse (slowly, as it is a parking lot), on the phone. This idiot adult woman RAN behind my car- from her car to the entrance. I slammed on my brakes. She cursed ME for being on my cell phone. Incredible. I WAS on my cell phone, but, that had nothing to do with what happened. She was completely and totally at fault for running behind a moving vehicle, in a parking lot. Sheesh. Total knee jerk reaction, IMO, when someone sees someone on a cell phone. (I didn't hit her....).

[Cataholic]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem. :(

Again, who are the 'people'? I didn't know motorcyclist (responsible, careful drivers of motorcycles) were seen as causes of accidents, like the argument that cell users are. I do think motorcyclists have inherent problems on the roads, irrespective of the types of drivers they may think they are. The fact is that they do not have a shell of steel, metal, hard plastic surrounding the bodies, so, when they take a hit, it is usually sigficant.

Like everything in life, there is a risk. To ride a motorcycle, better make sure you have proper insurance on the bike, the rider, adequate physical protection, and a guardian angel. People just don't see motorcycles, they see cars/trucks.

I would rather take a bus. I gave up riding bikes on the road, and running along roads without sidewalks, for similar reasons. Too darn risky.

[sparks19]

...and people think motorcyclists are the ones with a problem. :(


I didn't realize we had to be so specific but I have heard people (forgive me for not listing all their names and stats lol :D ) say how dangerous motorcycles are. Well sure they are but it's not because they drive like idiots (although some do) most of the time a motorcycle accident is caused by a car.

I actually witnessed an accident when I was just a little girl. it was horrifying. A car decided to speed up and cut a motorcyclist off, the guy on the cycle had to swerve to avoid hitting the car and he wiped out. he was all kinds of hurt. the car didnt even stop.

I also had a friend who's father rode a motor cycle and he got cut off by a car. Once the car was in front of him it slammed on it's brakes. He was too close to stop safely so he tried to just bail out and dump the motorcycle. he had on all the appropriate gear so he figured he wouldn't get hurt as badly as if he slammed into the car and flew over it. unfortunately, he was so close to the car that the motorcycle bounced off the back end of the car and landed on my friends father. it broke his neck instantly and he died.

I am deathly afraid of motorcycles. I won't ride on one and I get nervous when there is one near us in the car. i get so scared that something is going to happen and I will have to relive that awful day all over again. My brother rode a motorcycle for years and always tried to get me to take a ride with him. I never did. Luckily he mainly stuck to back roads that weren't very busy and he rode in a "gang" LOL just a group of friends that would get together on weekends and just go for a nice ride. Thankfully he was one of the lucky ones and he decided to stop riding after a friend of his was killed in an accident. he has 3 1/2 children and it wasn't worth the risk anymore and losing his friend only made it all too real.

I just don't understand the absentmindedness that people are suddenly struck by when they get behind the wheel of a vehicle. do they not realize they are driving a machine capable of major destruction and death?

[areias]

I won't get on a motorcycle, period. They are just too dangerous, unfortunately. I do have to say that a lot of people on street bikes can be idiotic when they are out there-weaving in and out of traffic and doing wheelies going 100mph.

The same thing with horses-I will no longer ride my horse near traffic. People are absolutely idiotic when it comes to that-beeping their horns as they go by or FLYING by.

[CathyBogart]

Some people seem to be under the impression that in California, it is illegal to lanesplit. These people love to lament motorcycles lanesplitting as a cause of accidents. I don't have a more specific "some people", becuase it's precisely that. Scattered opinions, but enough of them to make the road more dangerous for folks with only two wheels beneath them.

Some people get angry when they didn't see the bike they hit, blaming the biker instead of the fact that they weren't looking closely enough to see a skinny two-wheeled silhouette because they were only looking for cars. The biker "must" have been "flying" by them for that to have happened, right? Never mind that the person in the car was probably changing lanes without signaling when this happened.

Some bikers speed and weave in and out of traffic. Some people do that in cars too. I don't appreciate that generalization about folks on sport bikes. (Not that anyone here was making that generalization, but it does seem to be a prevalent one in the world at large)

[Cataholic]

Yeah, I get the point, people. There is a difference between quoting authoratatively from some unknown source (as above, and LH filled in the information), and opinions from the general population. Sorry if trying to clarify when someone is just spounting off their opinion, or, actually talking about some research out there causes such a problem. I like to squash any urban legend that I can.

[RedHedd]

When I'm on the phone I want to provide my undivided attention to the person on the other line and expect the same in return when I call others; it's called manners. When I'm driving, my undivided attention should be and is on the road, which is about manners and safety. Seeing drivers backing up, parallel parking, changing lanes or just plain driving down the freeway, or even worse in San Francisco traffic, while on the cell phone is just plain asking for it IMHO. I cut those people a very wide swath if I see them while driving or walking, as I know their undivided attention is not on their driving. I've seen way too many close calls to call this safe behavior.

[Cataholic]

I have deleted my original post. If anyone saw it, especially Redhedd, I apologize. I have a difference of opinion on cell phone usuage while driving, and maintain I can do it safely. I respect that others (even experts!) disagree with me.

To RH- we have a big difference of opinion. But, for me, I don't want it to put a distance between us, you are someone I have great respect for. Look at it this way, there isn't any chance I will harm you with my driving- we live too far apart. :p

[sparks19]

I just don't understand what call you have to make that could be so important that you MUST do it while driving. I mean it's nice to talk on the phone but why take the risk? To me it just isn't worth it. I can always talk to that person in a few minutes when I am not behind the wheel of a vehicle. I could hold the opinion that I am the be all and end all of great drivers but why do I have to prove it by using a cell phone? There could always be a time when I get into a particularly heated phone conversation and my mind wanders off from the road and suddenly I am in an accident.... now I can say over and over that it wasn't because of the phone but would I really believe it? to me it just is NOT worth that possibility. The world provides enough distractions as it is I don't need to add another to my repetoire.

BUT I hate driving period so I don't. My husband does all of the driving. Driving scares the h*ll out of me so it is best that I do not get behind the wheel.

[sandragonfly]

it's about dialing too, unless you suspect a unmarked policecar. "421-345..oops! 421-344 .. noo, that doesn't look right.. (searches for paper..) I was right, 42...." and you're dead.

three years ago, on my way to second last performance, I got whipped. first thing I saw in my rearview the woman behind me was glancing off the road at her cellphone multi-times.. I said to my passenger who was part of cast too, "let's hope she won't crash into us! tailgating makes me nervous, we cannot get hurt, I wish she'd get off the phone!!" I speed up a bit to pass the car on right of me so I could let her pass! until then I see she was far away from me.. then there was a traffic coming up, we stopped and I forgot all about her - boom!

(pencil flew out of friend's hand in slow motion) .. boom!

..then boom again. my car bounced off the van in front of me back to that cell driver's car. last thing I saw was her sleeping. dead.

drunk drivers vs cell drivers - reminds me - people got killed by donkey more than car crashes...it was true...don't know if it still stands a fact afterall so many crashes around here.

- I remember my first hit and run by a drunker. it was my first week of driving!! caught the license plate. lucky. honestly, I'd take cell drivers any day, it's shorter than drunk drivers! I'm a good multi-tasker but you never know what's out there by second to second...deers are world's favorite surprise. sigh.