10 Things that Make You Look Like a Massive Idiot while Driving

"willkinton247" (willkinton247) 05/01/2014 at 12:16 • Filed to: How to Drive, Learning, PSA

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Do you ever wonder why everyone looks at you with astonished faces when you're driving? Well, here is a start. If you do any of these things, you are raising the blood pressure of everyone around you with your embarrassing driving. Whether you are just clueless or a bit self righteous, make sure you pay close attention. You may even learn something here.

I'm looking at you, National Capital Region.

1. Driving with your hazards on in "inclement weather"

Whether it's lightly snowing or raining, you don't need to put your hazards on, especially if you are going the speed everyone else is going. That's not what they are for, so don't use them unless you have an actual problem. Everyone can see you, and if you're smart, you've turned your lights on (it's the law in VA, at least). That's enough for people to know you're there.

The other day I was driving on a two lane neighborhood road behind a newish Honda minivan that was doing between 15-20 mph in a 25 mph zone at 11:00 PM. That's aggravating already, but what left me dumbfounded was when she approached a set a speed humps and put her hazards on until she cleared them. It was baffling.

This is also, y'know, illegal in most states and you can actually be pulled over for "improper use of hazards"

Also, note. Please see that I wrote "inclement weather" not inclement weather. I'm talking about things like light rain and light snow. Weather that isn't close to being hazardous but people freak out over.

2. Leaving more than a car length of space in between cars at a traffic light

Don't do this. You are keeping cars behind you from accessing turn lanes (which often go green before the primary lanes, making them sit through two sets of lights), and causing traffic to spill into intersections behind you because they expected another car's worth of room that you are denying them. This is most often caused by people texting or old people who aren't able to see over the wheel. Every time I see this, I want to just pull in right in front of them and fill the space.

3. Lazily pulling into turn lanes

When you are turning, you get into your turn lane as soon as it's available, and then you start slowing down. That is what it is for. You do not start slowing down in the main lane of traffic and then get over after you've gone a hundred yards after the dotted line starts. Once you decide to get over, get over. A lane change shouldn't take 5 seconds and if it does, you are being lazy and selfish.

As a corollary, if it looks like you're going to miss your turn, just go around the block and try again. Do not slam on your brakes, cross 3 lanes of traffic, and then block another lane when you can't immediately get into the turn lane. You are inconveniencing everyone else because you don't want to drive another block. Still don't understand it? I'll let Louis CK explain it better:

4. Stopping in the middle of the highway

So you get into a fender bender on the interstate. What do you do? Well, it's simple. Move over to the side of the road. Don't just stop in the middle of 4 lanes of traffic. There's a shoulder for a reason. Use it. If you blow a tire, ride it over to the shoulder. If you stop, you are causing problems for everyone else, and potentially causing more accidents. Of course, if something catastrophic happens, like breaking an axle, you can be forgiven for not moving your car.

5. Riding your Brakes

Just because a car 300 yards ahead of you tapped their brakes doesn't mean you need to as well. Lift off the gas and start coasting. Be prepared to stop, but don't immediately brake. When you do that, everyone will do the same and the effect is multiplied, even to the point of people stopping. Also, keep in mind that every time you hit the brakes, you are converting your money into heat.

6. Rubbernecking

People rubberneck EVERYTHING here in the National Capital Region, including the monuments they see every day. Is there a police officer on the side of the road giving someone a ticket? Better slow down to see if you know them, it could be Jimmy from down the block, and you'd feel bad if you didn't say hi! Is there an accident? Then make sure you indulge your morbid curiosity!

7. Hanging out in the left lane

If you are going less than the flow of traffic, you do not belong in the left lane. Period. Get over. It's the law. Even if you are driving a Hybrid. Even if you're going the speed limit.

Speed limits are arbitrary, subject not to safety or engineering, but rather politics. The speed of traffic is rarely the speed limit.

Furthermore, if someone flashes their brights at you, and you're in the left lane, just let them by. Don't get mad. Don't get offended. Who cares if you think your speed is respectable? If they want to risk a ticket, let them risk the ticket. That's on them, not you. Plus, the whole flashing of brights to signal an intention to pass is a real thing. Even race cars do it.

And of course, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

If you are driving a large truck and you are in a place that isn't totally flat, please don't use the left lane. Sure, the truck in front of you may be doing 64, and you know you could do 65, but the cars around you are all going 70. Plus, you're not going to complete that pass before the next uphill, and then you'll be stuck doing 51 next to another truck going 50.5 on a two lane highway for the next 10 miles. I've seen the highway come to a complete stop due to trucks trying to do this.

8. Not utilizing on-ramps to accelerate to highway speeds

By the time you get to the highway, you better be going as fast as the people on the highway, so you can merge into traffic immediately and safely. This means, you should be doing at least 55 on any interstate by the time you get to the end of the ramp. And for the love of all that is good, don't stop at the end of the ramp. That's so dangerous its crazy.

9. Waiting for a lane to completely end before merging

Roads go from three lanes to two lanes or two lanes to one lane all the time. The wrong way to handle this is to drive until the very end of the lane that's ending, and then try to merge at the last possible moment. This causes traffic jams. EDIT: This causes traffic jams because no one knows how to zipper merge, because people are jerks and hate letting people in. Here's a graphic provided by !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! showing how to do it:

Instead, merge as soon as you are able. Sure, there that lane there that looks pretty open, but just merge when you can and you'll help everyone. You also won't look like a total tool!

10. Blocking the Box

You know who you are. You know what you're doing. Just don't do it. When in doubt, wait it out.

Unfortunately, most of you guys know this already. But I bet you know some people that do this. Share this. Disseminate freely. If these people knew what they were doing, maybe they would stop. But seriously. They probably have Facebook. Share it there.

What else makes people look like total idiots? What do you see people do that really grinds your gears when you are on the road?

I love cars and I love motorsport. I talk about that a lot on Twitter. Feel free to follow me at !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . If you want me to look into a particular series or topic, or have any feedback, let me know. #shamelessselfpromotion

nobody > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:25

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Re: #9: In a traffic jam, its much more effective to use the lane all the way until it ends than to merge early and leave the lane empty. Its similar to people leaving too much space while stopped at an intersection; there's all of this extra road we could be using.

willkinton247 > nobody 05/01/2014 at 12:26

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True, but not merging proactively can also cause jams, because everyone tries to get over all at once in the same place.

This happens every day on I-66.

nobody > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:29

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That's because people don't like to zipper merge, and instead treat their commute like a race.

RazoE > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:29

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So true.

BrtStlnd > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:30

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I remember in Driver's Ed, my teacher told me that on ramps were called "acceleration lanes" and that I needed to use them as such. It's unsafe to try and merge into traffic while going 20mph slower than everyone else.

lone_liberal > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:30

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#2 All day every day! I can't even begin to start to understand why people do that. Today the woman who was supposed to be next to me at a light was more than a car length behind me and we were the first ones at the light! And I get so pissed when I'm blocked from a turn lane by those idiots and miss the light. Sorry, this is a huge pet peeve of mine.

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:30

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Don't think #9 is right. Traffic studies have actually proved that using the full lane is most efficient as long as everyone knows to zipper merge. So the problem is with the people that don't know how to do that, not with using the full lane.

As to #2, since I've been in cars that have been rear-ended at red lights due to inattentive drivers, and have myself avoided being rear ended by leaving enough room in front of me, being aware of an oncoming driver not paying attention, and getting the freak out of the way (and that guy went on to hit the person in front me me) since I left enough space, I'm going to keep on keeping on my way.

philipilihp > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:30

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The only one I (kind of) disagree with you on is the merge lane. I am a big proponent of using all of the merge lane, but this hinges on people in the recipient lane not being assholes and speeding up to close gaps to stop people from being able to merge at a reasonable speed. That causes traffic jams.

What also causes jams are the assholes who are already in the recipient lane, but switch to the merging lane, speed up, try to get past a few cars, and then try to merge back into the recipient lane. Like passing those 2 cars will get you home faster.

Overall, great list, and things we National Capitol Regioners have to deal with every day.

BarryDanger > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:31

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The last 3 are absolutely rampant (pun-intended) here in Colorado. I got off work early yesterday and I was excited to head up to the mountains for a bit of a romp in the GTO... By the time I arrived home I had completely changed my mind because of the horrendous traffic I knew would face at FOUR o'clock in the afternoon. =(

Crocket Bernet > nobody 05/01/2014 at 12:31

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This, the passing lane on 101 east in NH turns into the go 45 for the next 3 miles lane when people try to force themselves in too early. Wait it out there's plenty of highway everyone will fit.

willkinton247 > nobody 05/01/2014 at 12:34

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Updated, with your graphic. Thanks!

Jayhawk Jake > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:34

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This one also applies to acceleration lanes on surface streets. Seriously, it's so god damned annoying when people stop instead of just using the acceleration lane. There's one in particular in Houston that everyone does wrong and causes stupidly long backups.

willkinton247 > philipilihp 05/01/2014 at 12:34

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I updated it to show the zipper merge.

willkinton247 > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 05/01/2014 at 12:37

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Yeah, updated. the Zipper merge is legit, but since no one can do it effectively because everyone is terrible, another solution is needed.

I like to think it's like the Southwest boarding strategy, in that if people merge when they like, the strain is relieved.

The Ghost of Oppo > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:41

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This pisses me off more than anything. So many people in DC area do this

E30Joe drives a Subaru > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:41

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#7.

All of my rage

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:42

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#7 handled properly

spanfucker retire bitch > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:43

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If we're talking about actual inclement weather and not just "it's raining," I completely disagree with you. I remember driving home in a fricken' white out this past winter where the visibility was easily less than 2 feet.

Everyone - including myself - were using hazards. Yes, I had my lights on as well, but having more lights on, with a strobing effect can only help with making yourself more visible.

willkinton247 > spanfucker retire bitch 05/01/2014 at 12:46

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That's legit, and why I said "inclement weather" with the quotes.

spanfucker retire bitch > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:48

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I figured as much, and just wanted to clarify. Also, I can't agree enough about the extra car's worth of space at intersections. I'm sure I look like a nut to other drivers because I'll just start swearing up a storm whenever I see some fuck-wad doing that.

vicariousILive > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:50

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Holy hell what a good write-up. I'm gonna share this on all of my social intetwebs.

spanfucker retire bitch > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 05/01/2014 at 12:51

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That was amazing.

wiffleballtony > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:51

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Numbers 3 and 8 have so much win. In my area the middle turning lanes go on for miles. And the roads are usually 45 mph or more, people slow down to 15, then get into the turning lane. You literally have 10 miles of turn lane to slow down in, why impede traffic? So infuriating.

jariten1781 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:51

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I see the hazards thing a lot more here around DC than I have anywhere else I've lived...I wonder where it comes from. The thing around here is that you get all 50 states bad habits (plus a few diplomats thrown in to screw it up just a bit more) which makes every commute a total mess. The good thing, whenever you go anywhere else in the states you are a fucking shark.

philipilihp > spanfucker retire bitch 05/01/2014 at 12:52

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For people around Wash. DC, inclement weather can mean anything from a dusting of snow to a slight sprinkle of rain, unfortunately, which is why the point is valid, to me. But in legit inclement weather I agree completely!

ColoradoTaco > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 12:52

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Glad I'm not the only one who gets annoyed by #5. I could go on and on about #7 but the simple fact is I don't care how fast you're going in the left lane, be it 55 or 100, if you're not passing someone you're in the wrong lane.

philipilihp > spanfucker retire bitch 05/01/2014 at 12:52

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Especially when you are the guy trying to get into the turn lane, where the light is green, but can't because the idiot in front of you is asleep and left too much space.

willkinton247 > jariten1781 05/01/2014 at 12:53

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Yes, yes you are. haha

willkinton247 > vicariousILive 05/01/2014 at 12:54

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please do!

Roberto G. > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:01

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" every time you hit the brakes, you are converting your money into heat "... this my dad told me 30 years ago, this I still remember when some idiot uselessly brakes in front of me. And I've been able several times to reach 100K kilometers (and more) on a car of mine, without the need of redoing my brakes... true is that I live in the plains, but whatever.

Desu-San-Desu > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:04

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People in upstate South Carolina are especially bad about #7. It is one of the few things that can actually make me start yelling at other cars when I'm driving. My car doesn't exactly have a lot of power. What it does have is a lot of grip. So the most consistent way for me to make sure I'm up to merging speed is to carry more speed through the corner of the ramp. But that's pretty much useless when the dickmonger in front of me is doing 10-15 under the merging speed until they've actually forced their way over into the lane by making every car for a half mile before the ramp have to slow down to not rear-end them.

Meanwhile, I sitting there downshifting and doing my damnedest to get my ancient Audi back up to a safe merging speed while screaming through my windshield "IT'S CALLED AN ACCELERATION RAMP FOR A REASON, YOU DIM-WITTED, GLASSY-EYED CUM-GUZZLING GUTTER SLUT!"

Nibbles > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:06

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In driver's ed, I was taught to never pull close enough to a vehicle that you can't see the bottom of its bumper. My dad beat in to my head (physically) that if I didn't leave a car's width between me and the next vehicle, someone will invariably come flying through my precise location and land on both me and the next car and I wouldn't want that, now would I?

zeontestpilot > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:07

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I was behind a frustrating driver yesterday. We both turn onto a dirt road, wide enough for two and a half cars to drive on it. He's in a big truck, I'm in a small pt cruiser. For some reason he puts his truck in the middle of the road and goes (i kid you not) 20 mph.....on a dirt road that has no speed limit sign so it would be 55 mph. Now, dirt roads tend to be curved, so I can understand the logic there. But going 35 under the speed limit, taking up the entire road, and not giving the car behind you (me) a chance to overtake you....that's frustrating.

I ended up saying 'screw it', and took a chance on trying to overtake him. i survived (i think).

SPNKiX > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:20

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A few comments:

The hazards thing is HILARIOUS. Especially here in California where people genuinely do this at the slightest suggestion of not-sun.

Leaving the space in front of you is actually a practical thing that I sometimes do because of a rash of car-jackings in Miami back in the 90s. I don't do it if there is a turning lane that might get cut off, but if I'm in a sketchy neighborhood, it's happening.

If you are an advocate of zippering, then you MUST merge late, regardless of whether anyone else gets it. Sorry, but will continue. This is an education thing and therefore suggesting that the better method is bad is not good practice. If you think that zippering is bad because no one gets it, then by the same logic left lane hogs are doing what they should because no one gets it. Here in LA, people will drive in the shoulder to get around a merge- this is not zippering and should not be considered as part of the technique.

Sadly, I think most of these just happen because people are either old or scared and no matter what you say, they will continue.

William Byrd > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:20

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Outstanding. Can I click more stars?

Fellow NCR commuter here. What route to you take each day?

elvinrivera > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:23

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I have a corollary to #8. A driver already on the thoroughfare approaching a vehicle speeding up and about to merge. Do the smart thing and move to the left? Of course not. Just cruise along at or below the limit ignoring the accelerating car and force it to slow down. After all, you were there first. For Christ sake, you're approaching this car in it's blind spot, not entering his vision or mirrors until just before he veers left to merge. Why place yourself and that car in danger? What guarantee do you have that the driver isn't an complete idiot and turns his head to check for oncoming traffic? I see this all the time. The merging driver puts the brakes on. The approaching driver puts his brakes on. Both don't know what the other is going to do. The following traffic in both lanes slows wondering how to avoid the wreckage. I've never actually seen a wreck but it's still a totally unnecessary clusterfuck.

willkinton247 > William Byrd 05/01/2014 at 13:33

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When I lived in falls church I took 7 to Tyson's everyday. Now I live in vienna, and I take a combination of 123 and parallel back roads to Gosnell to 7.

McMike > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:36

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You forgot one... Turn Signal behavior.

I don't mean people not signaling because they are on the phone, or just to be inconsiderate, that can happen anywhere.

What I'm talking about is the streetfighter syndrome we (and other large competitive cities can exhibit)

I'm not sure exactly when it started, but I imagine it went a bit like this.

The Story of Mr Hurry and Merger Boy.

Mr Hurry was motoring along 495, commuting in the early 70s and Merger Boy was indicating that they needed to soon be driving in Mr Hurry's lane. "Fuck that" Hurry said, "I don't have time for this" as he mashed the gas pedal of his Cutlass and sped ahead of Merger. "He can go behind me, I was here first!" he thought as he took a drag off the ever-existent cigarette in his lips. Merger Boy had to wait for Hurry and a few other cars to pass by before he could get over.

Being on the same schedule, this happened at least twice a week. Merger would come across Hurry, and signal to merge. Merger was noticing that no matter how early (or late) he put his signal on, the same thing happened. Before the second flash of the signal, Mr Hurry would speed up, closing the door. It was almost as if his signal stalk was directly connected to the Cutlass' throttle cable. Sometimes, Merger even missed his exit. Once, he even had to get right back off on the same exit he just left because Hurry closed the door on him. Again.

One day, Merger Boy had had enough. Merger decided that maybe if he tricked Hurry into not thinking he was going to have to defend his lane, he might have a chance. It worked perfectly. Mr Hurry never expected the sneak attack, and Mr Merger won.

This went on for weeks.

Eventually, through the cigarette smoke, Hurry figured out the sneak attack… This car hovering in the lane immediately to his right might want to come over, so he did what came naturally. He started tailgating. "This!" he said as he took a bite of his bacon sandwich, "This is genius. I don't have to defend my lane anymore if I don't leave a gap!"

Hurry justified his close following distance, claiming that he would be able to stop in time, since he had this new technology called "DISK BRAKES"

And that's how we have come to drive in the DC area. It fucking sucks. You signal, they don't let you in. You leave a gap, someone dive bombs into it, making you back off a little more to create another safe gap for someone to fall into. You try to dive bomb a space without signaling, the space it just too small.

There is no such thing as a "2 second" rule here in DC. It's tailgate, or hold the door open for everyone. I hate the behavior, and I hate myself for doing it sometimes.

Who's to blame? Both the cause and the solution are equally guilty.

William Byrd > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:39

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Ah, yeah I have done both of those routes befoer. Tysons is a mess these days, always was but now it's worse. I come in through SE DC and end up way up in NW DC almost back into MD.

Scorpio GTX1 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:47

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#5 (riding brakes) is probably a byproduct of nearly everyone driving autos. Unless you're doing 110km+, letting off the gas does next to fuckall. Engine braking is minimal, so you have to use your brakes to slow down. Now I drive a stick and the only time when I ever use my brakes is when I'm coming to a complete stop.

tromoly > nobody 05/01/2014 at 13:49

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I understand what you're saying, but if people actually merged properly in the first place instead of using the entire lane before merging, the traffic jam would be averted.

So again, not saying you're wrong, because once it's started a traffic jam is pretty much screwed, just if people took precautions early everything wouldn't back up so much.

Clown Shoe Pilot > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 13:54

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willkinton247 > McMike 05/01/2014 at 14:08

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This is so true. Well put.

willkinton247 > Clown Shoe Pilot 05/01/2014 at 14:11

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That is the exact opposite to the Louis CK bit above. I love it! haha

Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 > McMike 05/01/2014 at 14:14

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Some DC on ramps are just plane scary. There's no room to merge, people are going 70-80 in the right lane. You have to get up to speed, find a gap, and dodge the concrete barriers quickly approaching. DC is a good place to learn how to drive aggressively, that's about it.

McMike > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 05/01/2014 at 14:26

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Been driving here my whole life.

Last 20 years include a motorcycle. You will never find a more swivel-headed defensive driver than a DC (insert other large competitive city) motorcyclist.

I remember back in the 80s before the mixing bowl was updated, in order to get from our exit (Springfield) to 495 east (now 95n) we had to merge from a left hand on-ramp with our signal on, and get over 4 lanes within a half mile or so to make the exit.

Mom used to run down the ramp, take a deep breath, and tell us kids to duck in the back seat and be quiet. "Mommy's gotta merge!"

newton > The Ghost of Oppo 05/01/2014 at 14:30

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Honestly I hate it when it looks like I'm the one doing this. Here's the scenario: I come to a stop behind someone at the stoplight, shift into neutral and begin to sit and wait. Well the guy in front of me slowly crawls forward to close his/her gap in front. Now I have a gap in front of me so I either have to engage 1st gear and crawl forward and then stop again or I can simply wait for green light. Too often I get lazy and I'll just wait for green.

Rico > newton 05/01/2014 at 14:47

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This, in NY cars stop at the light then they all creep onto the bumper of the car in front of them eagerly anticipating the green light. I just stop where I stop and if all the cars in front of my want to reggae each other I'm content with staying where I am until the green light.

Toyotathong! > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:55

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Whatever...I'm saving the world.

BrtStlnd > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:55

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Side note: If cars are trying to merge into your lane because of a lane closure ahead, be a fucking human and let them merge. You're trying to protect about 10 feet of real estate... and you aren't going to get where you're going faster.

damnthisburnershitsux > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:55

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what's worse is when they are first and they don't pull up to the line and the light doesn't change because it's got one of those sensors in the pavement.

Sky Blue > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:58

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I beg to differ, there is a reason for that...

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:58

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But please leave yourself enough space to get out without having to back up, though.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 14:59

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I'm hurt! I'm hurt! Somebody call an attorney!

jdanna > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:00

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#2 could not be more wrong. if traffic in front of you isn't moving enough for you to get all the way into first gear, its not worth burning your clutch up just to creep creep creep forward like every other annoying moron driving around in an automatic.

those of us that drive vehicles with real transmissions don't like to creep all the time in traffic.

Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:00

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Left foot braking in rally. Cool.

Left foot braking because you think two feet is safer. Bad. Your brake lights are there so tell us you're slowing down!

jimz > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:01

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speaking of inappropriate use of hazards, has anybody ever encountered one of those assholes who always drives 5 mph below the limit and will put their hazards on and brake-check you if you get within 500 yards of their rear bumper? Fuck those people right in the ear.

kossmonaut > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:01

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i see this everyday in boston,
i like to pull my truck as close to their door as possible and lay on the horn

post_break > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:02

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#1 is perfectly acceptable in bad weather on roads faster than 40mph. It doesn't cause you any issues since they are just flashing lights, and they make you aware that hey "I have my hazards on because I'm driving through some shit I'd rather not be so I'm not comfortable doing the speed limit". It's a nice big warning that tells you to pay attention because people aren't comfortable with the driving conditions. In Texas you see hazards go on in the rain a lot and they instantly tell you to pay attention and maybe slow down a bit.

User1312 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:02

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#5: Chicago cabbies (and others incapable of really driving) will regularly tap the brakes at least every couple seconds. There could be no one in front of them but there's that tap of the brake. Not so much as to slow themselves down, just to activate the brake lights. Which is infuriating to follow. In. Fury. Ating.

Titanius Anglesmith > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:02

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You don't think you should have parsed this out in smaller bits? Anyone from Pennsylvania or Maryland who reads this whole article is probably going to have to call out sick all next week.

danjlove > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:02

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This is a great list of things that piss me off in the DC/Baltimore area. #8 is how I wrecked my precious subaru. All of these are reasons why I yell and curse and deathgrip my wheel every damn day just to go to work. I'm not from here; I know there are tons of places where people don't drive like complete asshats all day, every day.

RacecaR > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:03

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I hate this. I hate this so much. I hate this so very much. Especially when it is a congested area and the back up caused by this is blocking an intersection down the road. So very annoying.

TheKitten > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:03

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#2 i highly disagree.

Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:03

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I constantly bitch in the car about #5 #6 and #8. My audience is usually my 3 year old twins, so hopefully after years of listening to dad rant like a maniac they'll instinctively know what not to do. #8 especially pisses me off because it's creating an unsafe situation because of the disparity in speed.

The one thing that wasn't covered here is lane discipline . I see too many cars that hug the left side of their lane, forcing traffic on their left to hug the left side of their lane. Is it so hard to stay in the middle of your lane?

Brandon > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:03

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The on-ramps on 76 around Philadelphia are about 2 meters long and have little to no visibility of on-coming traffic. It is very frustrating.

Der Sportwagoner > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:04

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#9 is wrong and seemingly based purely on personal anecdotal opinion. Merge at the end, people!

Know who looks like total idiots? The people who have prematurely merged into one lane leaving a 1/4 mile of unused empty lane beside them. This is what's causing delays: not using all the available space on the highway out of some sense of misinformed politeness.

willkinton247 > danjlove 05/01/2014 at 15:05

0

I'm not either, I grew up in Richmond, VA. I really hate how crazy this place is.

LookingAtCars.com > nobody 05/01/2014 at 15:05

1

#9 needs to be re-worded to: "Those who don't know how to zipper merge". Because most drivers come to a complete stop 100 yards away from the end hoping someone will let them in. This is the same as stopping at the end. I agree that you should merge as soon as you can but if you have to come to a complete stop then go all the way to the end.

willkinton247 > Titanius Anglesmith 05/01/2014 at 15:06

0

I think this is my favorite comment I received on this post.

The Troof > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:06

0

You forgot to add #11: Driving with your headlights off at night. Anyone who lives in Florida knows what I'm talking about.

Susan > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:06

0

i see people do the hazard thing all the time here in GA.. It's not even raining half the time. It's cloudy, but not rainy. There is no animals or other road hazards, and the vehicles are usually running just fine.. Wtf ga? xD

NW_Eagle > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:06

1

#10 is number one for me. PAY ATTENTION, YA JACKWAGON!

But it is possible to take it to level two: I have been honked at from behind twice for stopping at the stop line when there was not enough room for me to clear the intersection despite having a green light. While I want to think that they were just advertising their lack of driving skill, the truth is they likely went about their day thinking I was the idiot. It's been months since this happened, but if I ponder it long enough, my blood still starts to boil.

HiMyNameIsJayAgain > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:06

4

This is so you don't get carjacked.

It's an escape route.

philaDLJ > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:06

0

SOMEHOW the last-second merging into Holland Tunnel works.

sgtyukon > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:07

0

#3 Get all the way into the turn lane too. Don't block the left lane for thru traffic by hanging the tail of your car into that lane while the front of your car is in the turn lane. Also, if you're making a left turn on to a street that's four lanes or wider, turn into the lane closest to the center (assuming you're driving someplace where they drive on the right).

#8 In theory, people should let you in when you're accelerating and pulling on to the Interstate. On the other hand, you do not have the right of way, so at least look before pulling in please.

LookingAtCars.com > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:08

0

Personally, I feel like an idiot when I pass a slow car and then end up choosing the slower lane and end up watching them pass me while I'm stopped.

willkinton247 > post_break 05/01/2014 at 15:08

9

In a lot of states it's illegal, and you can get a ticket for driving with your hazards on.

Street Sweeper > rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S 05/01/2014 at 15:09

1

Sure- but one car length should be plenty of room to navigate out of the way. He specifically lists "more than one car length" as the distance to avoid.

not sure if serious > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:09

0

I think the biggest dick move is the guy who was in the left lane switching to the right hand lane at a stop light because he can't stand to be behind a few cars. Who cares if there's no right hand turn lane and he just screwed over the people who can go right on red?

willkinton247 > HiMyNameIsJayAgain 05/01/2014 at 15:09

2

Or its because you can't see over the wheel. Or because you're too busy texting to pay attention.

Triborough > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:09

1

8. Not utilizing on-ramps to accelerate to highway speeds

Not always doable especially on a lot of the highways in the NYC area. Some of the ramps have stop signs at the end of them, especially on the parkways.

Grant Leavitt > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:09

0

I feel it is better to use hazards in particularly bad weather (hurricane-force downpours, hails, fog of any density, snow, etc) because, from what I've seen, red lights are somewhat hard to see, even under braking (remember, bad weather; I'm not talking about in bright daylight or nighttime). Cars equipped with amber-colored turn signals/hazards seem to be far more noticeable from behind in bad weather with the hazards on than those that aren't using them. This lack of hazards may be a cause of some of this past winter's pile-ups.

After all, hazard lights are FOR hazardous driving conditions, NOT JUST because your car may be a hazard (crash, driving slowly due to large dresser sticking out of your car's ass)...

LankySean > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:09

0

11: blinkers, use them and then turn them off after you make your turn or lane change.

12: high beams, you don't need them on a highway with road lights and traffic in front of you and coming at you.

JohnnyWasASchoolBoy > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:10

1

People in Vancouver are better at this than in any other place I've ever driven.

SlowerTrafficKeepRight > Chuck 2(O=[][]=O)2 05/01/2014 at 15:10

3

I would like to shake that cops hand.

CJ > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:10

0

The opposite extreme of this example is the guy who jumps into the turn lane and tries to speed the 1/4 mile length of it to try to make the signal. Somewhere along that line of cars your zipping past, someone is leaving a little space for someone to make a left turn. They pull into that turn lane and because you've entered it before the designated spot, everyone has problems.

grim > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:11

0

Almost every single one of these things happens to me on my way to and from work...every....damn...day. Im used to it now and just laugh in my head at how bad some people are at driving.

alan > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:11

4

not only that but they override the turn signals so you have no idea what direction the person is going in

BKosher84 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:11

0

OMG YOU ARE READING MY THOUGHTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS! Every. Single. Fucking. Day. THIS!

willkinton247 > JohnnyWasASchoolBoy 05/01/2014 at 15:12

1

They probably know how to use traffic circles too.

DC1 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:12

0

So true and universal, up here in Alberta Canada.... It's the most frustrating driving experience I've the misfortune to be in. Especially leaving more than a car length at a stoplight. That shit drives me up the wall. I long for the day of going back to the east coast and driving in an area where people don't leave any room when stop and where people got places to go and people to see.

alan > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:13

1

this should be part of drivers education haha

davedave1111 > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:14

0

I have to take issue with #2, because depending on the circumstances that may be a good thing to do or a bad one. I'd like to see signs at busy traffic lights indicating which you should do, especially where it's not obvious.

Your example of needing to squash up to let people through who aren't waiting to go straight is one reason to only leave small spaces; another is when the traffic is sandwiched between lights, and you want to get as many cars through as possible.

Where things like that don't apply, though, it's much more efficient if people leave larger gaps - in an ideal world, as large as their stopping distance at the speed they'll be going once they get through the light. That way you don't have to wait for each car to move off in turn, so the whole line of traffic can move off together.

Oh, and #7 is wrong too, at least here in the UK :)

plainnottoasted > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:15

7

Nope. Zipper at the end. use all available road space, in case no one has noticed it's at a premium.

I know you can't fix stupid (I mean herd mentality stupid, you wrote an article with a bunch of great points) , but what if I told you that there was a foolproof, absolute, way to prevent people from cutting in line that works 100% of the time.

If you don't give people the space to do it, they can't do it.

You go I go you go I go you go I go you go I go you go I go you go I go you go I go. (see that? I even let you go first, because I'm polite)

GoPDemon > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:15

2

This feels kind of Buzzfeed like... which is bad.

SaabMcViggerton > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:15

4

In Michigan the Governor publicly stated

"we would like to increase the speed limit to 80 mph, however we don't believe it is safe to have people merging in to traffic at 45 mph while others are driving 75 mph"

1 why the HELL are people getting on the highway at 45mph?!?!

2 why would people be going 75mph in an 80mph zone?!?!?!

3 I has someone tell me once "70 is the speed LIMIT.. it's not required to go that fast... I can go any reasonable speed I like"- this asshole drive 60mph in a 70..

I'll have mine straight, with 6 cylinders > willkinton247 05/01/2014 at 15:16

0

Of course its a Prius, probably has Washington (state) plates, and the picture was taken on an Oregon Freeway.

StalePhish > Drakkon- Most Glorious and Upright Person of Genius 05/01/2014 at 15:16

3

Riding the brakes with your left foot in a straight line bad driving, period , and should not be lumped into the same bucket as good drivers who left foot brake properly .

I left foot brake on the road but I only "ride the brakes" when I'm in a tight corner; never on a straight. You don't need to load weight onto the front wheels if you're going straight without a quickly approaching corner.

On the highway or long straights (in an automatic) I generally keep my left foot around the dead pedal and rotate it over the brake if there are cars approaching in front. Much quicker and smoother than a right foot braker who has to quickly release the gas and is losing time switching your foot to the other pedal when they could've been using that time to slow more gradually.

willkinton247 > GoPDemon 05/01/2014 at 15:17

0

CONGRATS! YOU GOT THE JOKE! HAHA!

Seriously though, the title was blatantly parodying Buzzfeed.

I hate Buzzfeed. Even with strawberries.